Clever Free Methodist

Sometimes the Lord does things in our lives whether or not we have faith. That scares me, at times, to think that my lack of faith (or effort) could cause God to “go on ahead without me” and accomplish a task or mission despite me. That God loves me so much that despite my response, He will still take care of me and have my best interest in mind. Having faith is extremely important in the life of a Believer. Jesus emphasized that time and time again to us in Scripture. For example, Jesus told the father of a demon-possessed son: "Everything is possible for anyone who has faith" ( Mark 9:23 ). The father realized that Jesus was calling him to exercise a deep, trusting faith. So he exclaimed: "I do have faith! Help the little faith I have!" ( Mark 9:24 ) In that situation, Jesus called not only the father to faith but also Jesus' disciples and the large crowd with them. Jesus said:  "What an unbelieving lot you are! How long must I remain with you?...

One of the many beloved “Sunday School” lessons involves the “wee little man” named Zacchaeus . In Luke 19:1-10 , we read the story that he wanted to see Jesus. He climbed up in a sycamore tree to see over the heads of the crowd due to his small stature. Despite the immense crowd, Jesus singles him out, approaches the tree, and engages Zacchaeus in conversation. The dialogue was convincing as we see Jesus helping Zacchaeus to come down out of the tree . As the story ends, Jesus walks with Zacchaeus to his home. Once there, more fellowship, discussion and a meal is shared. Most importantly, in verses 8 and 9 , we hear the impact of Jesus in his life. Zacchaeus has a change of heart. He amends for his past and presents a course of action in which to prove the sincerity of his confession and repentance. Jesus affirms that change by saying “Today salvation has come to this house….” Interesting, to me, is what Jesus said next in verse 10: “For the Son of Man came to seek and to ...

Sometimes, if we’ll be honest, things in our lives become challenging if we do not receive recognition, affirmation or guidance from others. Humanly speaking, it can be challenging to “keep on, keeping on” day in and day out….month after month….year after year without any indication that we are “being successful” or “making a difference” of some kind. It can even be hurtful if “nobody seems to notice.” What makes this even more hard to swallow is when other people (doing almost the same things as we are) are getting immediate recognition….accolades….noticed…singled out for an award or “featured” in the newspaper, newsletter of website. I can understand how this could come across as “unfair” and even discouraging when we compare ourselves to the results that others are getting. It can be crippling to become bitter and resentful. It can be damaging to get to the point of feeling like we need to just give up or quit (or even leave the Church) because we aren’t getting the recog...

One of my favorite quotes from Rev. Jerry Falwell is this: "You don't determine a man's greatness by his talents or wealth like the world does, but by what it takes to discourage him."   I pose this question: What does it take to make you throw in the towel and quit? Are you easily swayed by intimidation? Do you quickly retreat at the first sign of opposition? Are you soundly defeated when it appears you're outnumbered by the opposition? Do you quickly become silent and refuse to speak up when it becomes evident you are the minority amongst a vocal majority? It has always been said that "The greatest way for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing." It is time for us, as Christians, to guard ourselves against cowering in fear and allowing the godless to run all over us. Of course we don't literally "fight back" or become rude, obnoxious, and hateful in actions or words. We always maintain our composure, our testimony, ...

I believe one of the greatest fears amongst Christians is the one thing we are called to do most often: evangelize ! I think the reason most Christians find it so hard is that they have this idea that to evangelize “properly” you must "bombard them with everything" all at once to “win them to Christ” on the first encounter. Evangelism, instead, is not an “all at once” cold-sell approach, but a process of allowing God to work over a period of time through your personality, talents and faithfulness to draw someone into His kingdom. It is through our constant actions and attitudes that God builds the bridges that allow us to share the Gospel when the opportunity presents itself. It cannot be forced. It must be allowed to come in its proper time and place. The time will come and we must be ready. The saying is true: “People will not listen until they have first been heard and people will not care unless they first see that you sincerely care about them.” Because evan...

Our Church has hosted many funerals in the short time that I have been here. In fact, we have another one this weekend that the Pastor is leading. That has gotten me to thinking, especially since I have been able to stand in the background to “see and hear” all that goes on during a funeral service. I must admit (to no surprise) there is a trend! Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it is safe to say that if you REALLY wanted to hear how much someone was loved, appreciated and admired, you would have to attend their funeral! When you go to a funeral, you normally hear all these amazing and wonderful things about the person who is now gone. The bulk of these amazing words comes in what is referred to as “the eulogy.” Why do we wait until the funeral to say all the things that we should have said to them when they were alive? Why do we have such a backwards understanding of what a eulogy is in the first place? How did our society ever become comfortable with associating...

When I was a kid, it seems that every time an adult asked me about "my future" the question was always stated as "what do you want to be when you grow up?" I can't say that anyone ever asked me "what do you want to do when you grow up?" I think I know why! I've learned there is a HUGE difference between "doing" and "being." What we want to do in life is not nearly as important as what we want to be in life. "Doing" is related to earthly things such as "vocation" or "career." But, "being," on the other hand, goes much deeper because it relates to character, who we are, and how we use our life. "Doing" is related more to tangible things such as annual income, trophies, medals, awards or material possessions. "Being" has more to do with the things in life that can't be measured by literal yardsticks, trophy cases, or bank statements. "Being" ...