During a Tuesday visit to the Temple, Jesus observed a magnanimous display of sacrifice.

As He looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth,” He said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” – Luke 21:1-4

Jesus watched lots of people parade past the offering box that Tuesday. Some left large, substantial donations, others brought what they thought to be a sufficient amount to assuage their conscience and help them feel good about themselves for fulfilling their religious duty.

A dear woman obviously of meager means offered what seemed to some a pittance, to others one so insignificant that she shouldn’t have bothered, and to still others an embarrassment. However, of all the worshipers that day, she caught Jesus’ attention, not for the size of her gift, but for the size of her sacrifice. Everyone else that day brought what they could spare, but she brought all that she had.

What do we bring to Jesus? Our spare time? Our left over money? What is left of our brain at the end of a day? Whatever open spots we might find on our calendar? We have mastered the skill of giving up just enough to look good to others and feel good about ourselves, but Jesus knows what of our treasures (possessions, time, talents, relationships, attitudes, among others) we hold back for ourselves.

Let’s reassess our priorities this Easter season. After all, Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:21) Let’s give Him “all we have to live on” from every area of our lives.

Yesterday at Bellevue Baptist Church, our choir and worship team presented a wonderful worship experience through our Easter cantata.  Unfortunately, due to copyright restrictions, we are unable to post the music here, so please enjoy this encore presentation of Last Year’s Easter Sermon – my first sermon as Pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church.

Plan to join us next Sunday, Easter Sunday 2016, as we celebrate our risen Savior.  Our theme is The Hope of Easter.  I hope to see you there.  Sunrise service is at 7:30 a.m. followed by breakfast.  Sunday school is at 9:15, and our Easter Worship Celebration is at 10:30.

Articles and Blogs

A Call for “Drive-by” Praying – Chuck Lawless

3 Ways Disrespect Poisons the Presidential Race – Michael Hyatt

Worth Repeating

“If you sacrifice principle trying to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.” – John Wooden from @SportsMotto

“If ‘whosoever will’ can’t come to your church & be welcomed into the family, you don’t have a church, you have a society of Pharisees.” – Michael Catt from @MichaelCatt

“Take heart! You are just one encounter with God away from an entirely different life!” – Richard Blackaby @richardblackaby

“Character matters because you bring who you are into everything you do.” – Carey Nieuwhof

Another Look

The devil is not stupid.

Most followers of Jesus that I know would never fall for the devil’s temptation to do something really bad. At least not at first. The devil’s usual strategy is to DISTRACT us by getting us so busy doing GOOD things that we have little time or energy left for the BEST things. Then when we have neglected the BEST things long enough, we begin to tire of doing the GOOD things and before we know it, we have slipped and done a BAD thing.

In his letter to the Philippian church, Paul began with the prayer that he had been praying for them. He prayed that they would grow in their discernment so that they would be able to determine what was not merely good, but EXCELLENT. (Philippians 1:9-10)

In a recent video blog, I shared a story from a book by John Avant about a General during Operation Desert Storm who had to choose to do something excellent over something good. You can view the vlog here.

Let me encourage you to regularly take the time to evaluate both your priorities and your pursuits. Do you let the urgent crowd out the important? Do you spend an inordinate amount of time greasing squeaky wheels?

My prayer for you is the same as Paul’s prayer for the Philippian Christians, and it is the same prayer I regularly pray for myself. I pray that God will cause our knowledge and power of discernment to grow so that we can be more intentional about doing the EXCELLENT things in life.

I get tired of chasing jelly jars, putting out fires, greasing squeaky wheels…whatever euphemism you wish to employ. May God grant us an ever-increasing ability to intentionally and passionately pursue what is EXCELLENT.

REFLECT:

With what activities and priorities does the devil distract you so that you miss out on the most EXCELLENT pursuits?

Specifically, what is one thing you will do TODAY to be more INTENTIONAL about growing in your knowledge and discernment?

Looking back at the sermon I preached when called to be pastor at Bellevue, March 22, 2015 and considering where we’ve come in the last year.

“The BEST is YET to COME!”  Why can we believe that for our church?

We can believe God will do greater works because…

1. The PRESENCE of God is with us (vs 4-5)

2. The POWER of God is working for us (vs 6-8)

3. The PLAN of God is guiding us (vs 9)

What is OUR ROLE? (vs 4-5)

• COMMITMENT – Be strong

• PARTICIPATION – Work

• FAITH – Fear Not

Faith looks:

            UPWARD not self-ward

            FORWARD not backward

            OUTWARD not inward

“If you’re going to pray for RAIN, you better take an UMBRELLA.”

3 Positives:
strong core leadership
exciting atmosphere
effectively inviting others

3 Challenges:
don’t panic
look FORWARD
stay focused on the mission

My challenge to you today:  take ONE STEP FORWARD

Articles and Blogs

Inject Your Prayer List with Life – P.J. Tibayan on www.desiringgod.org

4 Reasons to Remember Your Creator in the Days of Your Youth – David Murray

Why It’s Wrong to Take the Lord’s Name in Vain – from Crossway Publishers

Your Single Most Important Habit – David Mathis at www.desiringgod.org

10 Misconceptions About the Church – Brad Bridges

Reading the Bible to Meet God – Barnabas Piper

Worth Repeating

“If you would support the teachings of Jesus, make certain that in the process you also reflect the character of Jesus.” – Richard Blackaby  @richardblackaby

” Your most important work is always ahead of you, never behind you.” -Stephen Covey seen on Twitter @davidjeremiah

“Lord, paint upon the eyeballs of my soul the image of thy Son.” Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Don’t mistake a crowd for a church. You can build a crowd by personality. But you can only build a church by the Word.” – Tony Merida – from Twitter his account @tonymerida

Another Look

Articles and Blogs

7 Reasons We Old People in Church Need to Be Willing to Change – Chuck Lawless

Gotta Serve Somebody – Brian Hedges of Life Action Ministries

Embracing Truth – R.C. Sproul

Why We Must Earnestly Desire Spiritual Gifts – Jon Bloom

Worth Repeating

“Character is much easier kept than recovered.” – Thomas Paine from @GregPotts

“People lose their way when they lose their why.” – Living Forward by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy

“It is not enough to believe the Gospel with your head. It must become operational in your heart.” – Tim Keller @timkellernyc

“The benefits of the word of God are greater than the benefits of anything else in the world.” – @JohnPiper

“As God is exalted to the right place in our lives, a thousand problems are solved all at once.” AW Tozer  Twitter feed @TozerAW

“Racism isn’t a bad habit; it’s not a mistake; it’s a sin. The answer is not sociology; it’s theology.” – Tony Evans from the Twitter feed of @EricGeiger

“To be right with God has often meant to be in trouble with men.” A. W. Tozer

Another Look