Run Away...

Some times running is the thing to do!

Today's Scripture:

Run from anything that stimulates youthful lust. Follow anything that makes you want to do right. Pursue faith and love and peace, and enjoy the companionship of those who call on the lord with pure hearts.

2 Timothy 2:22

You will eventually face a situation where your best option is to walk away. For example, if you are on a date and the physical contact increases toward a point where you know you are about to compromise the boundaries you feel God has shown you, stop. According to Paul, your best option is to stop and move the date to place where there is no privacy.

Choose to do things that will help you uphold your commitment to God instead of challenging it. A date with a group of friends to meet for soft drinks might be a better choice than a date for just two people alone. Paul pointed out that having friends who love God and who are dedicated to his ways is key to keeping one's commitment to God. By hanging out with Christian friends, you are more likely to do things that support your standards.

By putting yourself in situations you know God approves of, with friends who love God, you will find that you enjoy life without stressing over stuff that tempts you. In addition, you set yourself up to be used by God in a positive way to influence the lives of others. I know when the idea of a blog came up that is what drew me closer to the idea, knowing that is some small way God may use my little devotion time to influence or encourage someone and here is like my 107th blog entry and counting. Paul wanted Timothy to live right so that he would always be ready to share God's love.

As you live out your commitment to God, people around you will be attracted to the goodness in your life you and your friends enjoy comes from God.

Selah people' and friends, brothers and sisters I share with you today that when temptation comes your way (and you know it will), go a different direction. Choose a direction that will lead to good friends who are dedicated to helping you keep your commitment to God.

"Peace be with you as you run to live out your commitment to God and continue to be attracted to those things that are good in your life."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)

Each One Has a Part...

Each part is important to God. It takes all parts together to make the body of Christ!

Today's Scripture:

A person's body is only one thing, but it has many parts. Though there are many parts to a body, all those parts make only one body. Christ is like that also.

1 Corinthians 12:12

No doubt some of you have seen reruns of the old Addams Family television show...they even have an M&M candy commercial using this family as characters. You'll remember Thing, the disembodied hand that rises up out of its box to write down a message or beckon a visitor into the parlor. Thing is funny, but also creepy in a cheesy, sixty's, black-and-white sort of way, because everybody knows a hand can't live on its own. Without a body to be attached to, a hand quickly dies. There's no part of human body, in fact, that's self-sufficient. As important as the heart is, it can't survive without the kidneys or espohagus. It works the other way around, too. Even those parts of the body that seem unimportant or less than respectable play a vital role in the functioning of the whole system. Nobody would want to be a lower intestine, but you'd be in a world of hurt without it. Even one missing toes means serious balance problems for the whole body.

The church is the body of Christ, and every part of it is important. You may feel like nobody. You may think you've got nothing to contribute to the life of the church. But you have a role to play, even if you're not sure what it is. And by the same token, nobody is so important that he or she can survive spiritually apart from the body.

You need the body of Christ. And the body needs you.

Selah people' and friends you have a role to play in the church, even if you don't know exactly what it is. Don't be discouraged. And don't even think about going it alone if you're serious about your spiritual health.

"Peace be with you and all the rest of the members of the body of Christ."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)

No substitute...

Today's Scripture:

Serve only the Lord your God. Respect him, keep his commands, and obey him. Serve him and be loyal to him.

Deuteronomy 13:4

The Israelites faced a bit of a challenge. All their neighbors were worshiping things they could see-the sun, the moon, statues, their rulers. You get the picture. The Israelites were supposed to worship a God they couldn't see. So every time they started feeling insecure about their relationship with God - which seemed to be all the time - they made idols for themselves or started worshiping the gods of their neighbors. They thought they needed something they could see.

Does that sound ridiculous? Primitive? Not so fast.

You and I live in a culture that's full of false gods and idols.

Movie stars. Brand names. Sports heroes. Success. Popularity. Think how many things in your life promise to give you what only God can give: acceptance, love, self-respect, security. Every time you put your trust in Any of those things (even the good things) in place of God, you're doing what the Israelites did when they took up with their neighbors' gods. Idolatry isn't about carving idols out of stone or wood. It's about placing anything or anyone in the place where God belongs.

There's a God-shaped hole in your heart. God is perfectly willing to fill it. And only he can. Sure, there are lots of other things clamoring to be put in God's place. But all of them will leave you empty. It takes faith to believe in someone you cannot see. But nothing else can take his place.

Selah people' and friends think about how you spend your time, your money, and your effort.

Today I had a great visit with my brother and his family, my family and my parents...we worshiped together, we broke bread, we laughed, we fellowshipped with each other and we hugged. When they left I felt that God voice calling and as my wife and I discussed the week's schedule I knew where I needed to be. I dropped my daughter at church for practice, visited briefly and then headed to see two of my friends Pete and Chris who had a tough couple days at UNC hospital.

My brothers in Christ and I worship God and enjoy the moment we share and as I prepare to leave them I reflect on our God whom blesses so much each and every day...the God whom we worship. Does what you do and what your doing today acknowledge that you worship God above everything else? If not choose today to make a change and not accept any substitute for the one true God.

Stop by and visit our church website at http://selahchurch.com/ ... There you will find upcoming events and links to our sermons online and photos of events.

"Peace be with you as you join me in seeking to serve the one true God and doing away with all the substitutes that are holding you back."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick) Via Mobile at UNC hospital Chapel Hill, NC

Walk with the Wise

Who do you place yourself with? We grow when we surround ourselves with wise people.

Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer.

Proverbs 13:20

How would you describe your friends? Where do your friends like to hang out? Is it the kind of place you would be okay taking a youth pastor or your preacher to? What do your friends like to do? Do you spend time with friends who encourage you and help you be the best person you can be? That's what wise friends do for each other.

A wise person is described as understanding, someone who exercises good judgment. A wise person learns from his or her mistakes and avoids making them again. A wise friend is interested

in what others have to say. A wise friend admits when he or she is wrong. A wise friend will help you avoid getting into trouble.

Making a decision to hang around unwise people has a consequence is that eventually you will share in someone Else's unwise decision and get into trouble - usually it is more trouble than you anticipated. Avoid spending too much time with friends who continually make mistakes. If you have a friend who seems to make poor choices, figure out a way to lead in the relationship instead of following. You can care for that friend by taking the lead in areas where he or she has messed up in the past. If your friend fails to follow your lead, consider spending less time together.

Make an effort to spend the majority of your time with people who consistently do the right thing. Choose to be with people who are known for their smart choices.

Selah people' and friends some of your friends may know a lot, but a wise friend is someone who takes knowledge and applies it to his or her life. Wise friends bring out the best in you. Take time today to not only have a friend but to be a positive friend and lead a friend to Christ.

"Peace be with you and the wise who you place yourself with."

Please stop by our website at http://selahchurch.com/ to catch up with latest events that are planned on our "Bits & Pieces", view recent photos or listen to our current or past audio sermons online.

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick)

Whom Are You Working For?

What treasure are you digging for? What is your attitude?

Today's Scripture:

In all the work you are doing, work the best you can. Work as if you were doing it for the Lord, not for the people.

Colossians 3:23

Digging a ditch is hard, dull, repetitive work. You stick your shovel in the ground; you scoop up the dirt; you heave the dirt out of the hole. Over and over again. Digging for buried treasure, on the other hand, is a very different experience. It's just as hard and just as repetitive. The physical aspects of the job are more or less the same. The difference is the treasure hunter's attitude. The treasure hunter digs with a sense of purpose and a lot of hope. If all goes well, he'll have great riches when he's through digging. If all goes well for the ditch digger, he'll have, well you know a ditch. When I was younger working for Bucek's plumbing in Jacksonville I used to take pride in the ditches and trenches that I dug with my own two hands when digging for running the pipes prior to the slab being pored...I learned to grade it down hill as they say.

Your attitude makes all the difference in how your work goes. And a key aspect of your attitude toward your work - whether it's schoolwork, household chores, or any other kind of work - is your sense of purpose. Paul pointed out that whatever work you do, your boss, ultimately, is God. And that means your work is important.

Even dull, repetitive work is meaningful if you are doing it to please God.

The whole world belongs to God. He is the God of all knowledge, and so your schoolwork matters to him. For a preacher like me a little thing like making those calls, sending emails and visiting...yes even this blog are all done for Him. He also created the home, and so he is pleased when you and I pull our weight around the house and contribute to a more peaceful home life. He is the God even of the workplace; so flip burgers to God's glory, pack pickles, teach and care for children, if that's your job.

Selah people' and friends think about all the roles you play: student, employee, mother or father, son or daughter, sibling or friend for starters. Have you been working to please God in all of those roles? If not why not start today to work for God and not just yourself or others. What treasure are you really digging for? May we take up our shovel as we take up our cross for Christ!

"Peace be with you as you work for God."

Please stop by our website at http://selahchurch.com/ to catch up with latest events that are planned on our "Bits & Pieces", view recent photos or listen to our current or past audio sermons online.

In Christ service...

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick) Via mobile at Pitt Memorial Hospital ~ Greenville, NC

What Is Sin?

Don't get caught up in the net of Sin!

Today's Scripture:

Anyone who knows the right thing to do, but does not do it, is sinning

James 4:17

A life lived for God's glory can't be passive. Just steering clear of the thou-shalt-nots doesn't make you godly. Obedience to God means pursuing the good things that God calls you to.

There are sins of commission and sins of omission. Sometimes it's easy to consider only the things you do that you know you shouldn't; but you need also to consider the things you don't do that you know you should. I learned of this concept so well by a lay person in my former church at Browning's United Methodist Church in Dobbersville. As a member there for ten years a big influence on me was Hiram Smith who often remind us not just of sins of commission but sins of omission. Today as I visit several here in the hospital I think about those who chose not to do what God called them even though it was on their hearts and minds.

You and I are guilty of a sin of commission when we know something is wrong and we do it anyway. Perhaps you cheat on a test or some school work or lie to a parent or friend or steal some body's lunch money either by threat or by manipulating them...girls I'm speaking this one to you. Those sins frequently involve an active decision: I think I'll spray paint some graffiti on the back side of the grocery store or other building.. On the other hand,

a sin of omission is one you commit by not doing something: you know the right thing to do, but you don't do it. You know it's right to help the needy, but you just don't get around to it. You know you should go visit your grandmother or church member, but you've always got something going on. You need to call your brother, friend or other family member but again something gets in the way. Sins of omission are sneaky. They happen while you're thinking about something else. Trust me I battle this daily with writing needs down, putting them in my computer, pda and smartphone. You don't wake up and say, "I think I'll neglect some duties today." No, you just go about your day, and then, after it's too late, you realize you haven't put first things first.

Selah people' and friends you've got a busy schedule. But that doesn't let you off the hook for obedience. I too am a busy pastor,, father, husband,businessman, athlete and many other things. If you know what to do and don't do it, it's as if you have actively chosen to do something you know to be wrong. A sin of omission is still a sin.

Just steering clear of wrong doesn't make you right. You know the right things to do: go do them.

Be thankful not just because it is thanksgiving day, but that God has given you and I another opportunity to get it right. Go out today and do it! No excuses.

"Peace be with you as you choose not to omit what God has planned for you today."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston(PreacherPatrick) Via mobile at Wayne Memorial Hospital ~ Happy Thanksgiving!

Love the One You Are With...

Today's Scripture:

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

1 John 4:20

You get your ability to love others from God. Your motivation to love others is grounded in the fact that God loved you first. When you were unlovely and unlovable, God still loved you. In your best moments and your worst, good or bad, self-centered or self-less, God loved you. God set a standard that calls you to love others without conditions.

The writer of 1 John 4:20 pointed out to his Christian brothers and sisters how easy it was to say they loved God whom they do not see. In other words, it is easy to say you love God since you could not have to live with him in the flesh. It is much more challenging to love someone you can see, smell, touch, and hear. Your love may have to overcome body odor, bad breath, and loud, harsh and yes sometimes foul words. I had the experience of working two summers of my life for a brick mason as an apprentice who every other word out of his mouth was profanity...he was hard to love. The person you are trying to love may get in your face and deny your love, but you are called to love unconditionally. Sometimes the unlovely are easier to love than your own friends and family.

Loving the people from a poor county, state or country or those in a recovery facility may be easier than loving people you live with. It is those closest to us like our mom, dad, sister or brother who can really get on your nerves since you are with them so much.

Love should begin with the people you live with and the people you spend the most time with and respect the most.

The scripture is clear that your ability to love others is the true test of how serious you are about loving God.

Selah people and friends remember His love is engraved on your hearts, as if to say "100 percent love." You are permanently marked to love others. With God's imprint on your heart, you can't help but love others. If you don't have that stamped on your heart and would like to make that choice or seek to move toward that feel free to call, email or text me and I'd love the opportunity to witness all that God has done in my life and wants to do in yours.

"Peace be with you as you love all the ones God sends along your path. Remember as we share each week during service to grab someone and tell them just how much God loves them."

Your pastor,

Rev Muston (PreacherPatrick) Via mobile ~ Wayne Memorial Goldsboro, NC