Missing the Mark...

Are you falling short of the mark?

Today's Scripture:

All have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty. He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away sins.

Romans 3:23-24

As a freshman at Swansboro High school my track coach introduced me to one of my events that earned me my first varsity letter it was the pole vault. When a person competes in the pole vault, he is focused on doing one thing ~ jumping higher than the mark where the pole's been set. Once he has jumped, there can be only two outcomes. He either cleared the mark or fell short. If he failed in his attempt to clear the pole, whether he missed by an inch or a foot doesn't matter. He still failed.

The same is true with sin. The Hebrew word for sin literally means "to miss the mark." Everyone sins by choosing to go his own way instead of God's way. Some people miss God's mark by an inch; others by a mile. How close you come doesn't matter. Close isn't close enough. The moral pole god has set for you to clear is a high one; it is so high that it's impossible to continually clear it on your own. a perfect, holy God can't embrace anything less than perfect.

The good news is that this perfect and faultless God is also perfect and loving.

That's why he provided a way for you to clear the bar more consistently, as well as a means for you to avoid a penalty when you miss the mark.

It is important to recognize that everyone sins. Shift your focus to the future, not the past. I'm almost 26 years past my first pole vault attempt and thankfully I'm no longer limited to just my little high school to reach for heights the opportunities are limitless. Because of Jesus, guilt and the fear of punishment no longer weigh you and I down. We are now free to jump higher than ever before.

Selah people' and friends when you miss the mark, ask for God's forgiveness, learn from your mistake, and keep moving forward.

"Peace be with you as you and I strive to reach the mark that Christ has set for us."

Be sure to stop by and visit our church website at http://selahchurch.com/ and check out our upcoming events, photos and listen to our online audio sermons.

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)

Joint Venture...

It takes all of our parts to fill the body of Christ...no part is more important!

Today's Scripture:

What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own.

1 Corinthians 12:20

Your body is the perfect picture of how God designed community to work. Every part is independent and is vital to the health and strength of the other parts. If your lungs took the day off, your brain would cease to function. If your muscles went on strike, your feet wouldn't be able to get you out of bed and off to work or school.

Paul's picture of the cooperative human body illustrates how every individual is vital to the health of God's church as a whole. It also demonstrates how every part is significant. One part isn't more important than another. You should not regard the person who preachers on Sunday morning as morning as any more important than the one who cleans the building or the one who turns on the heat before the service. Each individual is necessary...we are all part of the body of Christ.

Every gift God gives has a purpose and a place to help fulfill his perfect plan.

People often encounter two pitfalls when they evaluate their significance by comparing their gifts with others': (1)they believe their gifts are too small or too big, or (2)they feel that what they do really doesn't matter or that everything or that everything would fall apart without them. Paul's words in 1 Corinthians guide you toward the true measure of significance on this earth comes solely from what you are a part of - God's body here on earth.

Selah people' and friends understanding your significance, and the significance of others, will help keep a humble, realistic view of yourself. It will also enable you to work more harmoniously in community with others. I have a story that I used to share with my daughter when she was little that we called "the big toe" story. It is late as I write this blog but I will share a special blog with it later today. Check out our church website at http://selahchurch.com/ and special thanks to all who helped or prayed for our Live Nativity. We had over 926 come through.

"Peace be with you and I as together we serve our Savior as the parts of the body that God created us for."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)

Heart Transplant

God offers us a new heart...

Today's scripture:

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 36:26

A beating heart is a sign of life. Physically, your heart beats regularly. But spiritually, until you get to know God firsthand, your heart is flat-lining. God promised the prophet Ezekiel (along with everyone who chooses to follow God) the ultimate heart transplant-replacing stone with flesh. This "flesh" is humanity as God originally created it, which is more than simply being human. It is the promise of being fully alive-physically, emotionally, and spiritually-in both this life and the next.

The people of Israel believed a person's "heart" reveals who a person really is. The heart cannot put on airs or be something it is not. It is the emotional and spiritual center of every individual.

When God's Spirit becomes the center of people's lives, the Bible says that they are "born again."

Along with a new heart comes a new start.

However, this heart transplant is possible only through the power of God's Spirit. Trying to become more loving, generous, and kind through self-effort can never bring a heart of stone to life. Only God's gift of his presence can jump-start a heart into permanent change. God's Spirit at work in you and I enables us to hear God's voice as he guides our decisions, to see his hand as he moves through circumstances, and to fulfill his plans for you and I to become the persons he created us to be.

Selah people' and friends through God's words to Ezekiel, you are given a beautiful metaphor to help you understand what happens when God's Spirit comes into your life you are fully alive for the very first time. I'm so thankful God has given me this new life and the opportunity to serve with others like you to spread His Love to all whom we come in contact with.

"Peace be with you as you allow God to open your new heart up to share with others"

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)

The Peril of Pride

Today's Scripture:

Though the Lord is supreme, he takes care of those who are humble, but he stays away from the proud.

Psalm 138:6

In the ancient Middle East, there were many myths about powerful monsters and primeval sea creatures. One canaanite legend told of a sea monster named Rahab who fought against God's creation of the universe. The word rahab is Hebrew for both "acting stormily" and "arrogance." In the same way that the sea creature refused to believe God's power could be greater than its own, arrogant people believe they can succeed in life solely by their own strength.

The bases for human pride are as much a myth as that sea creature. Physical abilities, IQ, talents, and accomplishments are all gifts.

You can add effort to what God has given you, but the basic building blocks are all courtesy of him.

Basing your life on a myth is bad enough. However, the most destructive thing about pride is that it acts like a God-repellent and pushes God away from the center of your life. As God keeps his distance from the proud, his gifts of guidance from the proud, his gifts of guidance, wisdom, and comfort move out of reach. While God notices pride right away, you may be aware of its presence. Ask a close friend if he or she sees evidence of pride in your life. Ask God to help you become more aware of your true motives, and then battle pride with the truth of who God is. The more you come to know and understand him, the more accurate a picture you'll have of yourself - and the more humility will replace pride in your life.

Selah people' and friends whenever you feel pride raise its arrogant head in your life, picture the sea monster, Rahab, battling ~ and losing to ~ God's supremacy.

"Peace be with you as you face and battle the monsters and storms of life that we face each day."

I invite you to stop by our website at http://selahchurch.com also if you are close by we will have our 2nd LIVE NATIVITY with close to 100 of our members in costume showing the life of Jesus in 11 different scenes. It will be December 12th & 13th from 6pm to 8pm.

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)

Jesus' Legacy of Peace

Today's Scripture:

Jesus said, " I leave you peace; my peace I give you. I do not give it to you as the world does. So don't let your hearts be troubled or afraid."

John 14:27

In the Jewish culture, the Hebrew word shalom is a customary greeting for both "hello" and "good-bye". Shalom means "peace" and so much more. It implies a wish for health, prosperity, and wholeness, as well as a wish for an absence of both internal and external strife.

As Jesus prepared to say good-bye to his closest friends on the night of the Last Supper, he bid them shalom. Jesus's words of farewell were far more than a traditional blessing. They were a gift only the Prince of Peace himself could offer. Jesus offered his followers peace of mind and heart, a peace unlike that of the world they knew, which depended on favorable circumstances. Jesus's offer of peace depended solely on his followers' relationship with him.

These words of Jesus are like his Last Will and Testament. In the same way that a will records how to divide possessions among the survivors of the one who died, John 14:27 is a record of your inheritance.

Jesus bequeathed a priceless treasure to all those who follow him, including you.

In fact, his gift has set you up for life ~ both this one and the next. That's because the wholeness found in Jesus's gift of peace is at the heart of true happiness. As you pursue peace by pursuing Jesus, you'll find you are holding the true key to living the good life.

Selah people' and friends Jesus's gift of peace offers you an alternative to fear and worry, a foretaste of heaven available here and now. As with any inheritance, you have to accept it and use it to enjoy its true benefits. If you've put this on lay-away as I remember Momma taught us to do with school clothes...stop putting it off. Choose today to enjoy this eternal gift!

"Peace be with you as you accept the legacy of Christ."

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick)

More Than Meets the Eye

Where has God placed you and how will it help you grow?

Today's Scripture:

We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

The apostle Paul had a difficult life. He was beaten, imprisoned, stoned, whipped, slandered, and shipwrecked. Through it all, however, he continued to tell others with joy, hope, and conviction about what Jesus had done. God had called Paul for his purpose. Paul knew God was at work behind the scenes, transforming every circumstance into something that would bring glory to God and good into Paul's own life.

Paul said "we know" with assurance. He did not write "we hope" or "we feel" or even "we pray."

God's loving involvement was, and is, an irrefutable fact. When Paul spoke of those people whom God calls for his purpose, Paul was talking about every child who responds to the call of his or her heavenly Father. In the same way that an earthly father cannot show a child something wonderful until the child responds to his call to "come here," God promises to work only wonderful things in the lives of those who follow him.

The good that God worked in Paul's life, and that he vows to work in yours, is not a promise of perfect happiness. It is a promise of eternal purpose. God's plan for you to know him and to spend eternity with him is steadfast. In addition, God will use the pain and the disappointment in your life. He will use them to do something beautiful, to turn heartache into strength and sorrow into into joy.

Selah people' and friends when you are facing difficult circumstances, remember that God is at work transforming everything that happens, both good and bad, into something beneficial for you.

Stop by our church website at http://selahchurch.com/ you will find information about events, photos, audio sermons to listen or download. We also invite you to come to our Live Nativity with close to 100 cast members and 11 scenes telling the story of Jesus life. It will be December 12th & 13th from 6pm to 8pm.

"Peace be with you as you acknowledge God is with you in all things."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)

Fully Forgiven?

Today's Scripture:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Being a scapegoat is not a job most people would volunteer for. After all, it implies taking the blame for what others have done. But in the Old Testament, God offered forgiveness to his people in exactly this way. The priest would lay his hands on the head of a goat symbolically transfer onto the scapegoat the blame for the sins the people had committed. The priest then sent the animal into the wilderness to take the people's offenses far away. Once the scapegoat removed the people's sins, God in his holiness could once again draw near to the people he loved.

In the New Testament, a different kind of scapegoat appeared-Jesus Christ. As God's Son, he willingly chose to bear the offenses of the whole world, to take the blame for everything the people had done against God since the dawn of time and until the end of it. Jesus was innocent of the sins and transgressions of the people, and yet, as the scapegoat, he took the punishment for them all so that his beloved people could be spared.

The great hope and promise of this verse is that it tells you exactly what you need to do to allow Jesus to be your scapegoat, which opens the door to God's forgiveness in your life. To confess simply means "to agree". Take a few moments each day to agree with God about how well your thoughts, words, and actions have lined up with what he desires for your life. Yesterday in our sermon we discussed John the Baptist's message of repentance and following the call that God has for each of us.

We must move forward with confidence, fully forgiven and free from guilt.

Selah people' and friends once God forgives you, all traces of your past offenses are gone. His forgiveness wipes away any feelings of guilt or blame. I was so blessed to here that a friend and co-worker of mine made her first time commitment to Christ this weekend. We have discussed God and her personal relationship with him many times. She said the biggest thing she felt was such relief that she could lift all her burdens and really get that piano sin and hurt off her back.

"Peace be with you as confess and are forgiven."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)