Today we once again celebrate Labor Day, and I would venture a guess that most of us really don’t know the origin of this particular day or why it was established.  The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City and then became a federal holiday in 1894 when President Grover Cleveland wanted to reconcile with the labor movement following the deaths of a number of workers that were on strike, at the hands of the U.S. Military.  Today Labor Day is probably celebrated as the symbolic end of summer and, for some of us more importantly, the beginning of the football season.

I once again turned to my good friend Webster and looked up what the word labor meant.  It says; effort in doing or making something, work, toil, a task or the work of human beings that produces goods or services. As I thought of this meaning, my mind was drawn to the story in Luke 10 where Jesus had just sent out the seventy to every city and place where He was going to come and He then says in verse 2 “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few, therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”   The reality is this, that as Christians, we have a job to do. There is work to be done for the Kingdom.  We live, work and interact with people that need to be shown the Love of Jesus and hear that He died and rose for them and by accepting Him they will receive eternal life. So today amidst the BBQs and the football celebrations, realize that we have a much greater calling and responsibility.

1 Peter 2:2

"Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation."

Recently, I had the distinct privilege to go to the hospital and see a newborn baby. The proud grandmother handed the baby to me and as I received this little one in my arms, I noticed his little mouth began a simple sucking motion-looking for something to eat. I thought, "Wow! This little guy automatically has the inborn desire to eat. Then, my mind wondered what would happen if I was to take him down to the local McDonalds, buy him a Happy Meal and force feed him a cheeseburger. Now, if the people in that room even knew what I was thinking, they most likely would have grabbed the child out of my arms and called security to escort me out of the hospital.

Ok, the Bible says that Christians should be "like new born babies, craving pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." So here is the question: What are you feeding your mind, your Spirit, and your Soul? Moreover, can you honestly say that you are growing up in your salvation today? Listen, you are created in God's image, and with that you, too, have an automatic, simple, sucking motion in your heart saying, "feed me pure spiritual milk". I love the old commercial that we quote today, "Drink milk, it does the body good." Why is it that in this crazy time we live in we continually choose to junk out on snack food instead of creating a healthy habit of feasting on God's Word.

Let me encourage you, satisfy your thirst by giving into your craving of pure spiritual milk and start drinking from God's Word!!!

Oh Lord, continue to satisfy my heart by filling me with more understanding of your Word. I pray that I never get satisfied in what I know but desire to know more of who you are by studying your Word, Amen

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. 

When you look at this verse you realize that there is an intention or a purpose of that one piece of iron on the other.  It isn't a beating of one piece of metal against another, but a controlled action, a deliberate action.  I could take two pieces of metal and continually bang them together and all I will get is some noise.  Another thing to note is, what is being done to the piece of iron that is being sharpened, it is being made more useful in what it is intended for.  I would also submit to you that we get dull in our walk or relationship with our Father, and need to be sharpened.  There was a time in Israel's history where they had to go to their enemy, the Philistines, to get there tools sharpened because there were no blacksmiths in their land.  This story is found in 1 Samuel 13:19-23 which also caused me to ponder as to where we go to get ourselves sharpened.  They had to go to their enemy and I would venture a guess that they probably didn't do the best job in sharpening, because after all it was for the enemy.  Today, encourage those you come in contact with to be all that God would have them be for His kingdom.

Psalm 1

"How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,
Which yields its fruit in its season
And its leaf does not wither;
And in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so,
But they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
Nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the LORD knows the way of the righteous,
But the way of the wicked will perish."

We live in an environment of distraction. It is vital we set our eyes on Jesus Christ as we continually meditate on His Word. Joshua 1:8 expounds on the point made in the second verse of this Psalm:

"This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success."

We must challenge ourselves and one another to walk with Godly intentionality. We can't do this thing called living with purpose and success if we don't seek and rely on Him through His Word and prayer continually. It's just like the boyscout motto, "Be Prepared"

Today, read through Psalm 113. Pause, in the presence of The Creator, to actually answer the questions found in verse 5 and 6. Take time to remember who God is, and praise Him for it! It will surely change the eyes with which you see your day unfold.

Psalm 113

¹ Praise the LORD. ^[a]
Praise, O servants of the LORD, 
praise the name of the LORD.

² Let the name of the LORD be praised, 
both now and forevermore.

³ From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, 
the name of the LORD is to be praised.

⁴ The LORD is exalted over all the nations, 
his glory above the heavens.

⁵ Who is like the LORD our God, 
the One who sits enthroned on high,

⁶ who stoops down to look 
on the heavens and the earth?

⁷ He raises the poor from the dust 
and lifts the needy from the ash heap;

⁸ He seats them with princes, 
with the princes of their people.

⁹ He settles the barren woman in her home 
as a happy mother of children. 
Praise the LORD.

"... ye shall know know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am the LORD your God, and none else: and my people shall never be ashamed"  Joel 2:27

Faster than we think the obstacles of life can eat at us, and we distance our selves from the joy we should experience knowing that Jesus Christ took our sin to the grave and rose agian on that third day so that we may be a new creation. In the Book of Joel, this prophet was watching the people of Israel suffer a terrible locust plague. The people suffered because they did not tear their heart before God. In the process, the prophet Joel illustrated how these insects painted a picture about the end times. The outlook is not good, but God promises something awesome: "my people shall never be ashamed". He follows this by adding He "will pour out His Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions." (2:28) This is what the disciple, Peter referenced on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:14-16. He will do this because the people will fast weep and mourn because of their sin (2:12). They will respond by ripping their hearts and not just their garments to the Lord (2:13).

God is looking for us to step away from our way of doing things and surrender to His Son's way. He is challenging us to hold nothing back, doing so is too exhausting. He wants you to be totally His and if you are you "will not be ashamed".

Proverbs 4:23

“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

My wife and I are in the process of moving…. not fun. However, during the never-ending grind of packing boxes, wrapping items, cleaning up and digging through stuff I didn’t even know we had; I am actually enjoying one thing in particular. I have found that organizing and categorizing our stuff is very rewarding. For example, I can never find a finger nail clipper when I want one (you know the feeling…) and when I don’t want one, they tend to be all over the house. So, instead of having finger nail clippers in our cars, bathroom, desks, book cases, freezer and laundry baskets; when I come across one I put it in a specific box with a specific label so that they all will have a specific place to be put in our new home. I am doing this with everything I can: Hair stuff, teeth stuff, medicine, vitamins, kitchen items, pictures, music equipment, books, games, yeeeee hah! I think I’m driving my wife crazy as she tries to get in my head and understand the process, but it is still a great thing.

It takes time. It takes work and discipline. But, in a home that does this, order is restored and things are put in their proper place. This is a great way to live.

Like a home, the heart can become a place that is cluttered and messy. If we aren’t intentional about it, “things” and “stuff” have a way of starting to occupy spaces and places in the heart that they shouldn’t.  Excess food and drink might end up in a place of strong importance. The latest acquired technology might sit in a prominent place that distracts from what’s important in your day. Your TV might sit in a spot that is more appealing than spending time with the LORD. Maybe the stress of making money starts to be the focus of your heart instead of “The Giver of All”. Or maybe we even allow things into our heart that actually eat away at it and slowly destroy it: jealousy, lust, hatred, greed, deception, and other invaders of a healthy heart.

Jesus came that we would “have life and have it to the full”. In Proverbs 4:23 we are reminded to protect the place that this “life” flows from: our heart. This is the place where who we really are, what we really believe and what we really love can be found. I implore you to give your heart daily to the will of God and the love of Jesus Christ (as best you can in His grace). Let go of those things in your heart that aren’t Godly or against His will for your life. His word guides and directs, so spend time in it and spend time with Him to know the best way to “clean house”. Out of that place, abundant life will flow.

Let Jesus show you how organize your whole heart.

It takes time. It takes work and discipline. But, in the heart that does this, order is restored and things are put in their proper place. This is the greatest way to live.

Mark 10:13-16

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

God is teaching me through my children what it means to be His child. I have a toddler girl named Hannah and a baby boy named Neville. Both are totally dependant on us and trust us for their daily needs. When they have a problem, they turn to us. When they are scared they come for an embrace

Our attitudes as adults can be very contrast. It is too easy to isolate ourselves with worries of the day. We find ways to fix things ourselves outside from God. We add rules and regulations. We create complicated living God never meant for us. Without allowing His Holy Spirit and His Word to form us, our theology turns into ZOO-ology. Our ego would rather follow that up and coming talk show/ writer/ speaker/ magazine/ etc. than our Creator. The flashy and the temporal can easily take priority.

May we check our ego at the door daily, side step our culture and become a child. God is reaching out to embrace us. That is why He sent His Son to die on the cross. We must allow our spirit to cry out to Christ in desperate surrender consistently and run to Him. To be a child of God is the greatest gift and completely free. Are we depending on Him for our needs, trusting His way, and yearning for Him?

There is no better path than the one He made for you and me.

There is no room for silly rabbits.

Please pray for Ava, her family and also for Kyle and Sarah who are very burdened with this event.

Ava is the five-year old daughter of Josh & Lisa Hunter who are very good friends and neighbors to Bob Mattingly’s  son, Kyle, and his wife, Sarah.  Ava is the granddaughter of Joel Hunter, the Pastor of Northland Community Church which is in Casselberry (outside Orlando).  Ava was complaining last week of headaches, doctors did a CAT Scan last Saturday, found a mass on her brain, operated on Sunday and below is the report.

From Josh Hunter, Ava's dad

We got the diagnosis today. It was worse than we imagined. It was not what they originally thought. It was diagnosed as a GBM. This aggressive brain cancer is very resistant to traditional forms of cancer treatment. While we have sent the pathology to other places now for a second opinion and are praying the original was wrong, we are taking seriously the plan to move forward knowing we are facing an uphill battle with our little warrior.

We can't do anything for a little while anyway since she has to heal from her surgery, so we have a bit of time to devise a game plan. What we do know is that Ava's healing will need to be a miracle from God (although we have known that from the beginning). The cancer she has is very, very rare in children and the prognosis is statistically not good. But, stats are stats. Stats aren't Ava.

We will continue to pray like crazy and ask for wisdom from God to treat this monster. Lisa and I are committing to living everyday not thinking about tomorrow since we can't do anything about it anyway. We ask that you would pray for us to stay that course and do what is best for Ava everyday as we live through it with her.

She is progressing well with the surgery recovery and even moved her left leg a bit today. I go to bed tonight knowing that God has our little girl right where He needs her and that He is the one we are responsible to trust.

It's been a hard day. We covet your prayers. Thank you so much for being faithful in praying for Ava. It's easy to lean on God when it's all you can do. That is what we are doing.

Ava's prayer blog:

http://www.northlandchurch.net/blogs/update_on_ava_hunter/

I basically wake up everyday with a list of things ready to go and a head full of ideas for things that I hope to accomplish. But, it is very rare that a day actually goes the way I think it’s going to or that I even finish everything I could. The “to do” list keeps growing and the days seem to go by faster and faster.

I’m pretty sure that I’m not alone when it comes to having plenty to do. People are busy. People are “doing”. Our society has even made it a socially defining question when we meet someone new to ask: “So what do you do?” or “What do they do?”

Today I just want to encourage us to remember that God did not intend for His created to “do” whatever we can put on our list. Or to run around and come up with things to get done. We are created to be (human beings) His, and that means to be in His plan for us. Jesus taught us to have a heart of prayer that sought God’s “to do” list first. He prayed to the Father “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.”

It is important that our days begin and end with an awareness that God has a plan that might not be our own. Wouldn’t it be much more satisfying, if instead of running around trying to make our own ideas happen, we would line up with God’s plan for our life and move forward from there?

It’s ok to make a to do list. But let’s measure success not by what we can put on or cross off our list in a day. We can’t serve 2 masters. We can’t be busy with our own ideas and busy with God’s plan at the same time. Let our aim be to be available and obedient to whatever God may have for us, so that we see His kingdom come and His will be done through us and in our lives.

Psalm 138:8

“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; Your love, O LORD, endures forever— do not abandon the works of Your hands.”

Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard you hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

What Paul is teaching us here is that no matter what comes our way, we can have God’s peace in the midst of it; even to the point of not being able to comprehend the fact that in the midst of the “storm” we are at peace. He goes on to say that God’s peace will even guard our hearts and minds, to keep all those anxious thoughts and doubts in check. God brings us to a point that we can say with David in Psalm 23:4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me. Man has for years studied what lies beneath the earth’s surface for a variety of reasons. Some of which include measuring the earth’s pressure, studying the layers of rock and looking at all the components of the earth. Even drilling a record setting depth of 7 ½ miles.

Those in the building industry need to know if the ground is suitable to support the structure they want to construct on a given If we could in some way illustrate what is in your heart, what we would find?  Would it be a heart that is at peace in the midst of the storm and guarded, or would we find one that is struggling?  Today, if you find yourself in that storm, allow God, through His Holy Spirit to come in and to put you at peace.

John 21:15

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?"
"Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you."
Jesus said, "Feed my lambs."

Today's internet culture invites more convenience than ever. We communicate in an instance, retrieve and send complex digital content, translate hundreds of languages with a click... The new brand of technology is developing an even greater desire to get connected and collaborate. The tools available can be quite useful.

With it, we can grant access to constant distraction, shorter attentions spans, and tempers: a complete loss of real connection. I think I read somewhere the average office employee checks there mail 30 to 50 times a day. While trying to get in touch with better, faster ways to stay in touch we can lose complete touch. When that happens we miss out on fully living in the complete access God has given us through His Son and the work Jesus did on the cross. God is asking each of us, "do you truly love me more than these?"

If our desired response is "YES!" then we have to act. Are we willing to become what Christ is calling us to; living His Word in deed and speech? Will we make Him our source rather than just another resource?

Let's reflect on what we "login to" as our source and allow God to pour into our vessels constantly as that so what we pour out is in Him.

In what ways are you logging in to God?

Please share by leaving a comment.

1 Corinthians 9:23-25

"I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."

When I was in elementary school, I happened to be a part of a very athletic and competitive class. Once a year, on "rally day", a group of elementary schools would get together and spend the whole day having their students compete in track and field events, all for the sake of fun and friendship. But for me and my crew, this was war. My favorite event was the 4-man relay because myself and the 3 other fastest kids in our class would form a team and dominate the race each year, winning by huge distances by the time the 4 of us were done. Every year except for our last, that is... when our 6^th grade teacher decided to mix us up and make a couple of teams that would be more "fair". This drove me crazy!

Even as a little kid I knew what Paul was getting at when he said "run in such a way as to get the prize". In serious competition, your standard or goal should not be set by looking around at the others and trying to be even or keep up. You are not striving to be just as fast as the competition is so that it is fair. Your goal is to excel past those around you; Your aim to be faster, better, stronger and in turn meet the ultimate standard of victory. The point is to achieve a high standard and to bring your very best. Not just do "ok". Right? 

The same goes for following the Lord. Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 9 that there are a lot of people running, but they shouldn't affect our end goal. Our calling as Christians is to run in such a way as to win. Our standard is not set by those around us. When we look to our friends, a pastor, our neighbors or the world to dictate our standard of morality, ethics, success or achievement, we fall short.  In Galatians 5:7 Paul admonishes the Church of Galatia for letting their standard be lowered:  "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?"

You see, our standard always has been and always will be the word of God laid out in scripture and embodied in Jesus Christ. Our Standard calls us to be holy, to be transformed and renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit as we live each day striving to achieve that Standard. We can't achieve it on our own and we definitely can't achieve it by trying to be just as good as those around us. For our standard, we look to Jesus Christ daily and we submit to His love, His grace, His power and His will to achieve success.

Run to win? Run to Him.

In Christ

Ephesians 6:4

 "And, ye fathers provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."

      I have three incredible boys that always have my head shaking in one direction or another.  The interesting thing about me being a dad is I really have no clue what to do.  I can read all the books on fatherhood, go to all the seminars on family and they are good in their own way.  But to tell you the truth, when there are hard or good times, it is interesting that you as a dad have many conversations with God about yourself about your kids.  God protect my child from this circumstance or that. I pray God that you will ride with them as they drive off in their own car.  God please be with them and to stand for what is right in your eyes all the time in all places.  See I believe as a parent whether dad or mom that you must be a praying person and thank God we do have the real manual, the Bible, to go to for our real instructions.  So I started this blog saying that I have three incredible boys and no clue how to be a dad, what I need to also say is through my Heavenly father quite small voice in me I think all be ok.  Be A Dad - Be A Friend - Just Be There for your Kid....In Christ

1 Thessalonians 5:17

What we think about prayer has a lot to say about what we think about God. For some, prayer is mainly an exercise in bringing our "list" before God, cluing Him into our needs (as if He somehow was not in tune with them in the first place). For others, prayer is our divine check-in with our Creator, informing Him of the day's goings on. While still others see prayer as a moment of holy reverence, filled with "thee" and "thou" and a whole host of other words we would never use in "regular" discussion with our friends.

But what if prayer was so much more?
More than our lists.
More than talking over our day.
More than addressing some far-off deity.

What if prayer were more like breathing? Just as breathing is pretty essential to our physical well-being, so is prayer to our soul. From very early on there was a connection between prayer and breathing. They knew that breathing is essential to our lives. It is something that provides life and vitality, and without it, we wouldn't live but for a few moments. Breathing is something we do almost unconsciously.

What if prayer were like that? I think this is essentially what Paul is getting at when he tells the followers of Jesus in Thessalonica to "pray continually." I doubt that he was telling them to walk around continually with their heads bowed and eyes closed. Rather, I think he was inviting them to see prayer as a connection, as a way of living and breathing, a way of being connected with the Creator.

So here the thing today - If you're going to breathe today why not pray or if you're going to pray today - please try to Breathe.

In Christ,

Pastor Jeff Weaver