Lessons from Ecuador #4

Look at those faces.

Now read these:

Mark 10:13-16

13 Then they brought little children to Him, that He might touch them; but the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14 But when Jesus saw it, He was greatly displeased and said to them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” 16 And He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.

Children are such a blessing from God. We have a great responsibility to raise them up in the Lord. Read these verses again and ask yourself "Does Jesus think children are important?" What I get from the words of Christ here is we need to do all that is within our power to bring children to Christ. AND when we come to Christ we need to be like children when receiving Christ into our own lives. Vulnerable and trusting in His great love. Then Jesus took the children and gave them big hugs and blessed them. Oh what a day that will be my friends when we are taken up in the arms of Christ. Just dwell on that thought for a moment.

When we were in Ecuador the children are what remains in my mind. The smiles, the hugs, the laughter, and the way they listened to God's Word. They were excited about the smallest things. I pray all of us remember Jesus is the most important not the worldly things that seem to grab our attention. God please help us to reach the children both at home and around the world for this brings you glory!

Tom

Lessons from Ecuador #3

As I have thought about this mission trip one of the biggest lessons that keeps coming to mind is my greed! The people of Ecuador seem so content with what they have. They seem to be happy for the most part. I think about the faces in the crowd in church on Sunday mornings here in the states....so many are unhappy. I think one of the main reasons is we always want more out of life...read this scripture:

Luke 12:16-21

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

This is so simple from God this morning. Our life is to revolve around Him. Everything we have is His! Our time, our money, our things, and our lives. We are blind here in America to the blessings God has given us. Even what we consider poor here are rich compared to many of the people of Ecuador.

I asked my translator Paolia to be honest with me and tell me what Ecuadorians think of folks from the United States and she gave me a one word answer..."Rich". You know what compared to the folks there she is right.

So this morning if you are feeling bad about where you are materialistically....be content for you are blessed!

Are you rich toward God???

Tom

Lessons from Ecuador 2

This is the second greatest commandment as told by Jesus:

Matthew 22:39

39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

It seems we still problems with skin color in our society today. In the states it is not uncommon for us to have hard feelings against another citizen for simple reasons like they talk different, they dress different, their skin color, or because they go to the wrong school, and the list can go on and on. According to the Bible we are all created in God's image. Just in that simple fact it should make us want to love one another. Do you love others?

In Ecuador we were surrounded by folks who did not know us. Nor did we know them. They sent their kids to us for VBS and trusted us to take care of them. In return we taught their children about Jesus and loved them like they were our own. As they seen us working with their children it brought a trust and respect between us and the parents. By the end of the week, we had made some great new friendships and a love for each other that passed through a language barrier. Through the efforts of both us and the people of Ecuador we fullfilled this commandment above....to the glory of God.

So what about here at home. Do you love others of all skin color and nationality? Have you formed your opinions on what the Bible teaches or have you based your opinions on what others have taught you? Give your love away and see what the result may be. Yes when you give your love away you risk being hurt but in reality all things worth while involve risk. That is what faith is all about isn't it?

God commands us to love others....it really isn't a choice! Reach out my friends the rewards are amazing.

Tom

Lessons from Ecuador

The team I was blessed to be a part of is back from Ecuador. As I sit at the keyboard this morning I write with a very heavy heart. We left new friends and a country that is in much need but yet seems to be content with where they are at in many ways. This was my first trip out of the states to serve God and it has opened my eyes to many things. I want to share them with you for the next couple of weeks.

A friend of mine wrote a devotion that I got this morning and this was the verse he was using and it is just what I needed to write my devotion this morning also.

Galatians 6:9

9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Brothers and sisters we must focus on the teachings of God everyday. Here God is telling us to do good to others always...even when we are tired. I can not tell you how tired we were after serving the kids of Ecuador doing Vacation Bible School. We were soaked with sweet every night but we kept pushing on. One of our team members actually had some serious stomach problems from the food or water. He looked like death at times but he would not let us take him to the hotel to rest. He kept pushing on...doing good and not growing weary. This team member was n charge of the games and did an amazing job. There is no doubt he will reap blessings for not losing heart as the verse said above. We had many times where things were difficult compared to the states but we did not lose heart and that is what I hope you will see this morning....we have folks to reach for Jesus....keep doing good no matter what. The blessings that come with this work are unbelievable!

Tom

Up or Down?

Some Words of warning this morning from the Lord:

Proverbs 15:24

24 The way of life winds upward for the wise,
That he may turn away from hell below.

I like how this verse starts out. The way of life of course is Jesus. This verse tells us that those who are wise wind their way upward. It is not a straight easy road. It winds like a trip up through the mountains. If you have ever been to the Rockies or the Smokies you can easily picture this. It is the same in our Christian walk, we have peaks and valleys and many corners to make our way through. But the reward at the end is oh so worth it. As a bonus we have a Savior who is with us every step of the way providing the strength and peace we need! Unfortunately their is the other side to the story. If we chose the turn away from Jesus it is a road that is straight to hell. Along the way we are offered many chances by God to turn off that path but the foolish one will continue down that road. God is so merciful and longsuffering. He gives us every chance to choose the way of life. Why do so many choose hell?

Good Word from God today...don't miss out!

I will be in Ecuador on a Mission trip for a week starting tomorrow...please pray for our team as we do VBS with about 100 children there. God bless and will return with the devotions when I get back!

Tom

Where do you seek knowledge?

This verse had something pop in my mind very quickly:

Proverbs 15:14

14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.

The first thing that came to my mind when I read this was this...how many millions of people turn to Oprah, Dr. Phil, Larry King, many of the news organizations for knowledge everyday? These folks try to answer all of life's questions by worldly answers. Americans eat is like a Chinese buffet. Then when their foolish answers come crashing down we ask why!!

The first part of this verse directs believers in how we should seek knowledge. We must have understanding. Where do we obtain that? From the Word of God. This is our main source! Prayer is another source where we can here from God directly. Another good way to get that understanding is through Bible based teaching. I hope you caught the Bible based part because their are many who want to say the are Bible teachers but put to much of their own opinions in their teachings be careful of that. The only way you will catch their false teachings is to be in the Word yourself!

So let me ask you...where are seeking your knowledge? Get it from God not the world!

Tom