Saturday July 31, 2004
As a Christian we need to serve God with “reckless abandon.” Too bad it seems the only place we seem to use it is on the highways!
What radical way can you serve God this weekend?
-Garrett Novak
-Acts 2:27 NIV
because you will not abandon me to the grave,
nor will you let your Holy One see decay.
-Matthew 22:36-38
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.
Friday, July 30, 2004
When something wonderful happens that you have been paying for you must pay careful attention to any ties that are attached to it. Recently I prayed earnestly for something and what I believed to be a beautiful answer to prayer was attached to someone’s bitterness against God and the church. This person was not only proclaimed to be a Christian but is a pastor. I became the target of misguided anger that took away the joy of what I still believe God intended for good. When miracles are in hands of people it is easy for them and the miracle to become distorted. The problem is that God often uses people in the miracle process and we are dependent upon their pure and obedient hearts. And then we wonder why we don’t see more miracles?
When God gives you an opportunity to be part of the miracle process, make sure your heart is and stays in the “miracle” mode.
-Lyn Sahr
-Prov 14:22 NIV
No not those who plot evil go astray?
But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
As I prayed with a man today moments before they took him into surgery to have his leg amputated, I realized that many people lose a little of themselves along the way of life in ways other than surgery. Too often people lose their dignity, self-respect, trust and faith a little at a time through circumstances of bad choices and the calloused acts of others.
It was difficult to pray with a man who was going to lose a body part but too often no one even notices people who experience brutal emotional and spiritual amputation at the hands of others, sometimes in the name of God!
-Lyn Sahr
-Eph 4:29-5:1 NIV
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
No one should be limited to the success they have in life if they measure success by their relationship to Christ. God’s love is boundless, immeasurable and limitless. That’s why success is spelled “Love” and Love is spelled “God!”
-Lyn Sahr
-Ps 109:26 NIV
Help me, O LORD my God;
save me in accordance with your love.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Hero’s are those people who God uses to accomplish His work but never take credit for it and are often oblivious to their success or impact. Hero’s never lose sight of the great love God has for them and others. Jesus Christ is their Hero!
-Lyn Sahr
-1 John 3:1 NIV
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
Monday, July 26, 2004
Great things are done by a great God who, by His divine choice, uses ordinary people who often feel extraordinarily inadequate for the job.
-Lyn Sahr
-2 Peter 1:5-11 NIV
For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
10 Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Sunday, July 25, 2004
I have been thinking about what it means to follow the Lord. In Psalm 23, we are told that the Lord is our Shepherd. And Jesus tells us that His sheep will recognize His voice. When I was growing up, my parents had sheep. I remember that I could go to the pen and call, and they would come running up from the pasture. Why? They recognized my voice and knew I had something good for them. In the same way, when the Shepherd calls us, we need to run, not walk, to Him.
But sometimes things happen and we get hurt. Then it is easy to stay away from the Shepherd. We may think we just want to stay away from the other “sheep”, but in the process we distance ourselves from the Shepherd, the very one who can heal the hurts.
When the Shepherd calls, we need to respond. And we need to respond quickly.
-Ardis Rivera
-1 Samuel 3:10
Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Saturday July 24, 2004
I spent last weekend in a field in central Minnesota with my two oldest children…and about 20,000 others as we lifted up the name of Jesus Christ through music at Sonshine Music Festival near Willmar, MN.
Driving through the Minnesota farmland on our way wasn’t too impressive, but once we pulled into this town (whose population more than doubled with the Sonshine attendees), looking at thousands of tents lined up in field after field, now that was amazing.
What else was amazing were the attitudes of those people as we camped in close quarters, and stood in long lines for the weekend. I can say I never saw one argument in a line, or in a campsite all weekend (not to say that there probably weren’t any). The temperature also soared near 90 making for a few very hot days. But much to our surprise, EMT’s on hand opened up fire hydrants twice each afternoon for about an hour for us to stand in, run through, and just enjoy the cool, fresh water on our hot bodies.
Praises to our King for three days, people getting along, streams of “fresh” water spraying forth—wow—to me it seemed to be a “taste” of heaven. You can bet that when next year’s Sonshine Music Festival rolls around (if the Lord doesn’t come back first), we’ll be back.
Is the Lord giving you a “taste” of things to come right now?
-Garrett Novak
-Psalm 34:8 NIV
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Friday, July 23, 2004
Some people confuse fate with faith. They ride the train of life thinking they have nothing to do with the direction they are going because they are on tracks that they have no control over and changing their course is impossible. Some would call this fate. But faith is different than fate. Faith is where you lay your own tracks for your train under the instruction of God in the direction of eternity knowing that you will have a safe arrival.
-Lyn Sahr
-Heb 11:1-2 NIV
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Recently someone was joking with another person and said, “I know where you live!” The truth is that we may know someone’s address but we rarely know where they live (how they live). But we should all remember that God knows where live (how we live)!
-Lyn Sahr
-Ps 69:32-33 NIV
The poor will see and be glad–
you who seek God, may your hearts live!
33 The LORD hears the needy
and does not despise his captive people.
Wednesday, July 21, 2004
Little is said these days about sin in the world. Of course, why should that surprise us when sin isn’t talked about much in many churches. It isn’t popular to talk about sin but it sure is popular to do it!
Sin may be popular, but like a lot of popular things, that doesn’t make it right!
-Lyn Sahr
-1 John 3:7-10 NIV
Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. 8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. 9 No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
When there seems to be trouble on every corner, go find a place in the middle of God’s will!
-Lyn Sahr
-Rev 7:17 NIV
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd;
he will lead them to springs of living water.
And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Monday, July 19, 2004
The hand of God moves on people who need direction, which includes all of us!
-Lyn Sahr
-Ps 119:35, 133 NIV
Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.
Sunday, July 18, 2004
Many people think that their day to day jobs are not important to God. Somehow the there has come up a thinking that only people in the ministry have jobs that are important to God. But God created work, and He wants you to do your best at your job, realizing that your workplace is your mission field also. How many of your co-workers need to know the Lord?
Daniel was in a foreign land, where ungodly people ruled. Yet his work was so good that the king wanted to put him in charge. His co-workers were jealous and wanted to cause him trouble, but his work was so outstanding that they could find no fault there. Can your boss and co-workers say the same of you?
Maybe it is time to look at your job as God sees it—as a gift from Him. If your boss is unfair, remember that ultimately, God is the One you serve, and work for Him. And may it be said of us as it was said of Daniel, that they could find no fault in him and in his work.
-Ardis Rivera
-Daniel 6:3
Now Daniel so distinguished himself among the administrators and the satraps by his exceptional qualities that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
Saturday July 17, 2004
While visiting South Carolina recently, my wife and I decided to try riding a bicycle built for two. The island we were on was relatively flat, and we watched other couples riding “together” on the bike trails, so we took our turn.
What we found out, is that it isn’t as easy as it looks. We needed to learn to balance “together” on the bike. Turning corners was a challenge at first, and once we had to either make a very sharp turn (and barely miss several pine trees) or head off the trail. We took the “bumpy road” off the trail. After several laughs, and a lot of working together, within a short amount of time we figured out the secret…communication. I would tell me wife which way we would turn and we would lean together and maneuver the corners.
Riding the “bicycle built for two” is a lot like marriage. Two people coming together as one, trying to do things differently at first, but having to learn how to work together to make it work. As in riding the bicycle that day, communication is key to every marriage. When the “bumps” and sharp turns come onto the horizon, don’t just set the bike down, communicate and make the corners together. Unlike the 60 minutes it took us to understand how to best make the bicycle built for two work, marriage takes a lifetime to master.
If your marriage isn’t riding along smoothly right now, take time to communicate with your spouse. Why not rent a bicycle built for two and have a unique “date night” experience while you learn to work together.
-Garrett Novak
-Genesis 2:24
For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
-Mark 10:8
…and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one.
Friday, July 16, 2004
Today I ask you to pray for our ministries. Does that surprise you that I would ask for your prayers? It shouldn’t. We have needs like anyone else. But right now we need some very special wisdom and perhaps a miracle or two.
There are times when things before us appear to be perfect for the vision God has given us. But then the question remains of how to accomplish these things and how much we do to make them happen or how much we wait upon God.
Last December Pine City Community Church purchased an 8,000 Square Foot section of a strip mall to hold services with the idea that we would one day purchase the rest of the mall and use it for a Christian School. Last month a smaller section of office space that had been empty was leased out to a business. I thought it was going to be come available for sale and we would possibly be able to purchased it through Home and Away Ministries or perhaps privately to preserve it for the Church and school. So this was quite disappointing. However, this week the other 7,500 square foot section of the mall became for sale at a price much higher than is feasible for either of the ministries to consider. And the church, just completing its twenty-fourth month of holding services, certainly can’t take on this project either. If that section is sold it may not become available for sale again in my lifetime.
So the dilemma is do we try to buy the 7,500 section and secure it for the school, creatively finance it and creatively pay for it or do we step back and wait for God to bring it to us in a way that is affordable, which right now would have to be free? We all know the right answer but I can tell you it is tough to look over at that section of the mall and see anything else there but our ministry use for a church and new Christian School.
So, I ask that you will pray that God will give me a real sense of peace about getting out of the way and letting Him do whatever he sees fit in this matter. One day we will look back at whatever takes place and realize it was His will. Of course, I would be thrilled if God provided a super financial miracle that enabled us to own the entire mall and begin the school in the fall of 2005, putting the vision into bloom for His honor and glory.
Again, your prayers are coveted.
-Lyn Sahr
-Ps 42:8 NIV
By day the LORD directs his love,
at night his song is with me–
a prayer to the God of my life.
Thursday, July 15, 2004
If I wanted to be a cowboy, I would buy a horse.
If I wanted to be a carpenter, I would buy a hammer, saw and other carpenter tools.
If I wanted to be a mechanic, I would buy wrenches and other automobile tools.
If I wanted to be a Christian, I would buy…….
Ooops! You just can’t buy what it takes to be a Christian!
-Lyn Sahr
-Rev 3:14-20 NIV
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. 15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Recently I talked to a pastor who said; “I must be nuts for being in the ministry.” I assured him that everyone who is in the ministry is a little nuts! It seemed to help a little. Everyone who seeks God and serves God feels like that from time to time but we must resist the doubt and cling to the destiny God has for us. When we doubt the sovereignty of God in our lives we doubt God.
FYI the pastor I was talking to was me!
-Lyn Sahr
-Jude 22,24,25 NIV
22 Be merciful to those who doubt;
24 To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy- 25 to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
The rocky clefts of Lake Superior are beautiful yet extremely dangerous. I stayed several feet away from the edge because one wrong slip off the mammoth rocks and you can fall to your death. It makes me wonder why people continue to live on the spiritual edge when there is so much danger. Yet I know how beautiful sin can appear, making people risk their very souls.
When you live on the edge of sin the only thing that can save you when you fall is grace! Without it spiritual death is inevitable!
-Lyn Sahr
-Jonah 2:7-9 NIV
“When my life was ebbing away,
I remembered you, LORD,
and my prayer rose to you,
to your holy temple.
8 “Those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving,
will sacrifice to you.
What I have vowed I will make good.
Salvation comes from the LORD.”
Monday, July 12, 2004
We are taking a couple of days off up. It is amazing how the atmosphere changes as we enter the rugged country of northern Minnesota. If we started in Minneapolis we would find ourselves in the sprawling metro area. As we head north on I-35 we enter what used to be small towns that are now booming as a result of urban sprawl with new buildings everywhere. But as we enter the arrowhead country there is a dramatic change. History seems to come alive right before your eyes.
We had reservations at a resort on Lake Superior that we had never seen before. We finally found the place and what we saw didn’t bring tears to our eyes but almost. The sign was old, faded and rusty. The first building we saw was an old dilapidated rotted log place with the screen door hanging open by one hinge. It surely looked like someplace I had seen in a movie, a bad movie!
At first none of us thought that this could be the place but the sign said so. I decided I better follow the sign that said office. It took me to another log building that was actually quite nice. We stayed in a sixties vintage house by the lake and soon the less than plush accommodations were unnoticeable as we enjoyed a couple of days with three generations of family members.
In reflecting on this I thought of how our churches spend so much time, money and effort in making the facilities beautiful only to discover that what makes churches beautiful is “beautiful people,” not “beautiful buildings!” And beautiful people are because of a beautiful God who can make something beautiful out of anybody or anything!
-Lyn Sahr
-Matt 6:19-21 NIV
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Sunday, July 11, 2004
When the sun comes out these days, it gets really hot. I have come to prefer the cloudy days. Maybe the temperature is the same, but it seems less hot. But, if the sun never came out, nothing would grow. The sun brings life. But it also burns.
In our spiritual life it is the same. When the light of the Son of God shines into our lives, it brings life. It also burns up the things that are not good for us.
In the case of the sun, we do need to be careful that we don’t get overexposed, because there are dangers of overexposure to the sun, but there is no danger of overexposure to the light of the Son of God. We need all the light He brings with no need of protection or worrying about negative effects. This light only brings good to our lives.
-Ardis Rivera
-1 John 1:5-7
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Saturday July 10, 2004
No matter how far you run from God, he’s always waiting at the end of the race!
-Garrett Novak
-Hebrews 12:1 NIV
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Friday, July 9, 2004
When life is pinching us, we need to look around and see who is doing the pinching. We may be pinching ourselves!
But sometimes God may be doing the pinching. He works through circumstances and a little pinching goes a long way in moving us into where and what he wants us to do!
-Lyn Sahr
-Ps 143:10 NIV
Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.
Thursday, July 8, 2004
Trust is not something that is easily built but can be destroyed in a moment. That’s why it is important for us to trust God even when things in life don’t go the way we think they should. If we can’t trust God, who will never fail us, it would seem that trusting other people is nearly impossible. As our relationship with God is strengthened to a high level of trust, so will our relationship of trust in other people be strengthened. And the beauty of this is that when, not if, people let us down we will understand because of our own trust building experiences with God. And, therefore, we will not be so willing to abandon our trusting heart.
Bottom line: Until we learn how to trust God we probably can’t trust other people!
-Lyn Sahr
-Isa 12:2-3 NIV
Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.”
3 With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.
Wednesday, July 7, 2004
When God sends shockwaves through our hearts, it isn’t to kill us but to wake us up!
-Lyn Sahr
-Rev 3:1-3 NIV
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
Tuesday, July 6, 2004
Our national motto, “In God We Trust” causes us to think in terms of who God is. The scripture teaches us that He is the author and the finisher of our faith. I am of the opinion that it is God’s purpose to finish everything he starts. But between the start and finish is where most of us live and that is where we struggle to know and understand God.
It is impossible to grasp the totality of God but there is one thing we know beyond a shadow of a doubt and that is, “God is Love.” Our forefathers trusted their entire existence and the future of their families and this country on this simple truth, “God is Love.” They lived in “God’s House,” a life under His protection, knowing they would be safe and that no harm could come to them because of His great love for them.
God is a lot of things but knowing that He loves us and that we will always have a home in “His House” is enough security for the man or woman of faith. Our forefathers knew that and wanted us to be constantly reminded of it when they put “In God” … “We Trust” on our money.
-Lyn Sahr
-1 John 4:8 NIV
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
-Ps 63:1-8 NIV
O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you;
I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you;
your right hand upholds me.
-Ps 56:3-4 NIV
When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.
4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?
Monday, July 5, 2004
When we consider the word “In” from our national motto “In God We Trust,” one may ask where? We know by the continuation of the motto that we are to trust “In God” but there is this thought of “In” that hangs in my mind.
A friend of mine is a headmen’s college basketball coach and he continuously talks in terms of the home court advantage and the fact that no one is supposed to come into “their house” and win.
As Christians, we too have a home court advantage as we live “in” God’s House and no one else is supposed to win there. This is a special place of existence that is safe just as in the beginning from Genesis 1:1. It was safe in God’s House! No one could harm anything in God’s House.
The Garden of Eden was also God’s House where Adam and Eve lived in safety, a special place provided by God. The only risk they had was their inability to say no! In other words, Satan was not their worst enemy. They were their worst enemy.
I believe that our forefathers recognized that the key to success was to resist the temptations of evil and live “In” God House under His divine protection and intervention. So as a constant reminder to themselves, the nation and all generations to follow of the absolute necessity to stay under the providence of God House, they printed on the money. So perhaps the next time you handle the smallest coin to the biggest bill you will be reminded of the faith of our forefathers and their special understanding of “God’s House!
-Lyn Sahr
-Ps 78:1-7 NIV
O my people, hear my teaching;
listen to the words of my mouth.
2 I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter hidden things, things from of old–
3 what we have heard and known,
what our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our forefathers
to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands.
Sunday, July 4, 2004
Today is Independence Day in the United States. In the midst of the celebrations, it might be a good time to stop and remember the millions who live in countries with cruel dictators—people who would love to have the freedom we have in this country.
It is very easy to criticize the government, and I believe when we see things that go against the Biblical principles on which this country was founded, we need to stand up and be heard. We have a responsibility to be sure that God is not kicked out of our country. As Christians, it is time to stand up and let the lawmakers know where we stand. But, we have a wonderful country and let us never forget that. Praise God today for the freedoms we have in this country.
-Ardis Rivera
-Psalm 33:12
Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD ,
the people he chose for his inheritance.
Saturday July 3, 2004
This weekend is our “Independence Day” celebration here in the United States. Americans are celebrating the birthday of our nation with cookouts, parades, fireworks displays and family get-togethers.
I’m also going to take time to celebrate my “Dependence Day” this weekend. As I thank Jesus for his love for me, paying the price for my sins, and assuring me a place in his house for eternity. I’m also going to thank him for being able to live in a country, which allows me to freely worship him in my home, with my family, and corporately in my church. Many nations don’t have that “freedom” that we Americans do.
If you haven’t trusted in Christ as your savior—why not do so today and celebrate your own “Dependence Day!”
-Garrett Novak
-John 14:1 NIV
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.”
Friday, July 2, 2004
“In God We Trust” was put on the money of this country because our forefathers had “In God We Trust” written in their hearts!
-Lyn Sahr
-John 14:1- NIV 2
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
Thursday, July 1, 2004
The hearts of our youth must be turned toward God or the heart of our nation will be turned away from God.
-Lyn Sahr
-Hab 3:19 NIV
The Sovereign LORD is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.
