Days Can Be Rough.

 Have you ever had a day that beat you down so badly, that you just couldn't anymore? People are just not doing what they are supposed to be doing. Situations are out of control? People just seem to not care about what is happening. That's what my day was like today. No matter which way I turned, there was always something coming against the job I was trying to do. People just doing whatever they like, no matter the outcome for the next person.

That is why I put my trust in Jesus and not people. Jesus never lets me down. He is always looking out for me.

Psalm 118:8 Living Bible

8 It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in men.

I just don't understand why this happens almost the minute that get through the door. I pray, read my Bible, listen to worship music on my way in. I am fully loaded to go to work (at least I think so).

I clock in and almost instantly there are problems. This person put something in the wrong spot, where they knew that it did not go. Now it is on me to shuffle product around to make room for the new. It was like this all day today. Every where I turned, there was always something in the way. I became very frustrated at the whole situation. 

Titus 2:7 New Living Translation

7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching

I think that is what bothers me about this whole thing. I always try to look out for the end user. Make it easier for the next person to locate and pull the product they need without to much of a hassle. I just wish that it went both ways. 

2 Corinthians 4:17 New Living Translation

17 For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. 

I know that this will not last forever. Usually a day at most. The next day is a whole new day. Things seem to click and all is well in receiving land!

I often look at these issues that I have at work and I think that they are nothing to what Jesus had to go through and endure! My momentary frustration is nothing compared to Jesus'.

So what do I do during all of this? I lean on Jesus! He is the only way!

Philippians 4:7 Living Bible

7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus

I encourage you tonight. When something comes against you and frustrates you to no end. Lean on Jesus.  He will get you through. Might not seem like it at the time, but before you know it, you are on the other side of what was going on.

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

His Great Name!

 I was listening to an album by the band We The Kingdom while driving the other day. This particular album was recorded live at the famous Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN.

On this particular album they have a song, I don't recall the title right now, but during the song, the band dies down and the backup singers take over. They keep singing the name of Jesus. They would sing Jesus, pause for a moment and then sing His name again. They would do this over and over again for a few minutes. The pause in between singing Jesus' name seemed almost like a time to reflect on His name.

So this one day I was stopped at a red traffic light. To me it seemed longer than usual. I was listening to that album and that song at that exact moment while waiting for the light to turn green. 

I've listened to this song many times, but at that moment, it just hit different. I knew the part was coming where the band dies down and the backup singers take over. So, I'm there waiting for the light to change and listening to this song.

The name Jesus came across my van speakers, then the pause. I started thinking about His name. You know, The name above every other name. (Philippians 2:9) What does His name mean to me.

Here it came again.

Jesus!

I thought that I have a Father in Heaven loves me. (1 John 4:9)

Jesus!

He is my Savior. (1 John 4:14)

Jesus!

He is my Provider, Protector, my everything. (Philippians 4:19) (Isiah 54:17)(Psalm 73:25-26)

Jesus!

He is my friend. (Proverbs 18:14)

I could go on and on, but I think that you get the idea. I do think that God made the red light extra long for a reason. Just like He made the sun & moon stand still for a little bit extra time. (Joshua 10:12-13)

He wanted me to reflect on His name and what He means to me. All that He has done and continues to do. I never want to forget any of that. 

So I encourage you to do the same. Take time, slow down. Maybe God has your sitting at a red light for a reason. Reflect back on Jesus' name and what it means to you. What He means to you.

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

So, You Have Faith! What Does That Mean?

 God gave me a word for my team at work well before Christmas. Because of scheduling and vacation time, I wasn't able to give it till last week. After giving the word, a co-worker came up to me and started a conversation.

He started with, "I know that you are a man of faith." "What exactly does that mean?" I thought, "wow, what an opportunity to explain it to him."

I gave him Keven's version of what the Bible says. 

Hebrews 11:1The Message

11:1The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. 

He was like "tell me more." I said "Okay, let's go!"

I told him that God has many promises in the Bible that I believe will come true in my life. Even in situations that I haven't even encountered yet, I believe or have faith that they are true!

I told him about Noah and how God had him build a boat in the middle of dry ground. Can you imagine the faith that it took for Noah to believe God in that situation. But he was obedient and started building a boat. Then the rains came and flooded the earth. (Hebrews 11:7)

I told him about Abraham and his son Isaac. God told Abraham to take Isaac to an isolated place to be a sacrifice. Abraham didn't totally understand Gods plan but he obeyed and took Isaac. As he was about to sacrifice him, God stopped him from doing this act. Abraham had faith that God would either stop him, or provide for him in some other way. Now that's faith. (Genesis 22:2)

I told him about Daniel and the lions den. The King of the land became angry with Daniel and had him thrown into a den filled with lions. Oh, the faith that Daniel had that God would rescue him from that den. And that is exactly what happened. God shut the mouths of the lions and rescued Daniel. (Daniel 6:16 & 6:22)

I told him one more story because we needed to get back to work. I could talk about my faith in God and His word all day long, but work was calling.

I told him about the three friends thrown in the furnace. The King was so angry with them that he had the furnace turned up seven time hotter. They had faith that their God would rescue them from that. Boy, did He ever. He even joined them in the fire and brought them out, unscathed! Didn't even smell like smoke! (Daniel 3:16-27)

I told him that all these examples help with my faith in God! I have a lot of personal stories that I could share, but I'll share just this one.

My brother called me and asked me to come up to his house and try to help him get his truck started. It was a manual and we had to push it to get it started. After trying about five or six times (seemed more like twenty), he said that he was done. It was super cold outside that night. I said "have some faith. Lets try one more time." So we did. We pushed it back up the drive and prepared to give it one last go. Guess what happened? It started. He was amazed. I told him that God was saying "one more time." Having the faith of a mustard seed!

Matthew 17:20 New Living Translation

20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.

I encourage you tonight to strengthen your faith. Dig into Gods word. Believe what it says and what He'll do for us.

2 Corinthians 1:20 Living Bible

20 He carries out and fulfills all of God’s promises, no matter how many of them there are; and we have told everyone how faithful he is, giving glory to his name.

God Bless.

Rev. Kev.

Overflowing!

 What do you think of when you hear the word overflowing? Do you think of a river that has overflowed it's banks? Do you think of your coffee cup overflowing. You poured to much in it and now it's running down the side. Do you think of a sink doing dishes or tub getting ready to take a bath. Water running all over the place. The counter, the cabinets, the floor. Then if your like me, I worry about the floor getting ruined because of water seeping through and then having to replace it. The struggle is real!

There is a different kind of overflowing that I would like to share with you. This is a good kind of overflow, that comes from God.

My wife shared with me a video of a man talking about Psalm 23:5. He was talking about giving and giving to others and when the time came for himself, he had no energy left to give. The person whom he was talking with told him that this verse didn't say a word about pouring, it said overflow. It changed his whole narrative. 

Psalm 23:5 New Living Translation

5 You prepare a feast for me

    in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

    My cup overflows with blessings.

We are to be so full of God, that the blessings he bestows on us will overflow to others. 

How do we get filled with God? Glad that you asked.

Read His word. Everyday. Open up your Bible and see what He has to say to you (us).

Pray. Set aside time everyday, devoted to prayer. Be intentional in prayer. Thank God for what He has done and continues to do. Thank Him for the blessings in your life!

Attend church. Get filled with being around other believers. Iron sharpens iron.

Proverbs 27:17 New Living Translation

17 As iron sharpens iron so a friend sharpens a friend.

Be doers of the word, not just readers. If the Bible calls to action, then act. Go do something in Jesus name! Be His hands and feet to someone. Let your blessings overflow. Don't try to put a lid on them and keep them for yourself. Share with others.

Hebrews 13:16 English Standard Version

16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

So I encourage you to get filled to the point of overflowing! Let Gods light and love overflow out of you, to bless others!

God Bless.

Rev. Kev.

Turning The Page!

 Borrowing a song title from the great Bob Seger, "Turn The Page". We are in the last days of 2024. 2025 is just around the corner. As you're getting ready to turn the page from '24 to '25, what do you want? What do you hope happens in this new year. To me, I pray that I have a better year than last year. Not that last year was bad, just always wanting to get better or improve!

So here comes 2025. What do you want to see happen, or take place. How do you want it to be different than this past year? What do you want to do differently?

Do you want to draw closer to God? Have a more intimate relationship with Him? That is always a good thing to strive for!

James 4:8 Living Bible

8 And when you draw close to God, God will draw close to you. 

Do you want to read your Bible more? Really dig into it and study it. Learn more about God & Jesus. That is another good goal.

2 Timothy 3:16 New Living Translation

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

Do you want to love more boldly? Be more compassionate toward others? Show more grace and mercy? I always strive for this. I can always do better at showing people love & forgiveness. Be less judgmental! 

Ephesians 4:32 Amplified Bible

32 Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you.

I could go on and on, but I think that you get the idea. As we start the New Year, let's put God first, in everything that we do. How we treat people. How we go about our work. Let's give back when we can. 

Let this be our greatest year yet in showing Jesus to people. A world that desperately needs a Savior! Let's show the world by our actions that we are Christ followers. 

John 13:35 The Voice

35 Everyone will know you as My followers if you demonstrate your love to others.

This is my greatest goal for this year. 

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

So, You Think You Have A Problem!

 So, you think that you have a problem that God can't fix? I highly doubt it. There is nothing to big or to small for God. He cares about you and what you are going through.

1 Peter 5:7 The Voice

7 Since God cares for you, let Him carry all your burdens and worries.

If God can rescue Daniel from the Lions den, (Daniel 6:16-23), you don't think that He can rescue from dire situations? I think that He can.

If God can protect Daniel and his two friends while in the fiery furnace, turned up to 7X hotter, (3:16-28), how much more will He protect you in certain situations? Jesus was in the fire with them. He will be with you as well.

He was with David as he went out to battle the Giant Goliath. (1 Samuel 17:50-53) A small shepherd boy that many laughed at when he went out to battle. David knew that Goliath was big, but he knew that his God was bigger. God is bigger than anything that we can face. 

Imagine the troubles that Moses faced? As Israel's leader to bring them out of Egypt, he not only had to deal with the Egyptians who didn't want to let them go, he also had to deal with his own people who grumbled and complained about his leadership. He leaned on God time and time again to gain wisdom and knowledge of what to do. He also did a lot of praying! Won't He do the same for you, who are in charge or in a leadership position of some kind?

What about Job? His situation went south rather quickly.  He lost his family, his wealth and then his health. In fact his wife wanted him to curse God and die! What did he do? He continued to praise God (Job 1:20-22) No matter what life throws at us, we can continue to worship God. No matter how dire the situation seems, God will be there. Every time!

James 1:2-4 Living Bible

2 Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, 3 for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.

So I encourage you. Not matter what kind of problem that you are facing. God will be with you. Call out to Him for help! He is always near, never far from us!

God bless.

Rev. Kev.

Doesn't Have To Be Much!

 We are constantly hearing about being Jesus' hands and feet. Go out and be like Jesus wherever you go. So I decided to look that up in the Bible. Where is it exactly that tells us to be His hands and feet? This is the Bibles definition of being Jesus' hands and feet.

Matthew 25:35-40 New Living Translation

35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

37 “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,[a] you were doing it to me!’

We observe the needs around us. Looking at what we have, giving what we can. That's it.

People think that they need to do something grand or elaborate to be Jesus' hands extended. They think that they have to rescue someone from a burning building. Render first aid at a car accident scene. Perform life saving actions for someone who is having a medical emergency. All of that is great, don't get me wrong. But, how many times have you been in those kinds of situations? Not very many I'm guessing.

To be Jesus' hands and feet, you can do the small things as well. The other day at a hardware store, the cost of  being His hands and feet, .59c. Not much, but to the person whom it was given, it was the world at that time. You see we can't say that we are followers of Jesus and then not act when we see someone in need.

Philippians 2:4 New Living Translation

4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Being Jesus' hands and feet mean that we are not in this for ourselves. We need to show Jesus to others around us. We can talk and talk, but people really look at what we do and how we act!

1 John 3:18 New Living Translation

18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

So what can we do to put our faith in action. Open or hold open the door for someone. Let someone cut in front of you at the grocery store if they only have a couple of items and you have a whole cart full. Pay for someone's dinner. Do all of this with a smile on your face. Let the joy of Jesus shine through you! People will notice!

God bless.

Rev. Kev.