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FCN Daily Bible Verse
September 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Pastor Rick Warren: Be Generous Because God Is Generous
September 11, 2018 By Leave a Comment
By Rick Warren
”As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ” (2 Corinthians 9:13 NLT).
It makes you happy. Acts 20:35 says, “Remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (NLT). Notice Jesus didn’t say it is not a blessed thing to receive. It does make you happy to receive. But the world will tell you that you will be happiest when you receive. Jesus turned that idea around and said that you will be happier when you give than when you receive.
It just makes sense. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (NIV). Every one of us wants others to be generous with us. Do you think that by sowing miserly selfishness you’re going to reap generosity from God and others? God says that’s not the way life works. There is a law of sowing and reaping. So if you want to reap generosity, you have to sow generosity.
It shows the world what God is like. The Bible says, “As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ” (2 Corinthians 9:13 NLT).
When it comes to generosity, what encourages me is to remember the incredible generosity of God. Look at the world we get to live in. Look at the life he gave us. Look at the way he meets our needs. God is the perfect model of generosity. And when we are generous with others because of God’s generosity toward us, it points others to God.
Are you ready to invite Jesus into your heart?
Are you ready to receive God’s gift of grace to you? It’s a simple prayer that will tell God you accept the gift of Jesus.
Prayer:
“Dear God, I’m scared, but I want to get to know you. I don’t understand it all, but I thank you that you love me. I thank you that you were with me, even when I didn’t recognize it. I thank you that you are for me — that you didn’t send Jesus to condemn me but to save me.
“I admit that I never even realized I needed a Savior, but today I want to receive the gift of your Son. I ask you to save me from my past, my regrets, my mistakes, my sins, my habits, my hurts, and my hang-ups. I need you to take away the stress and fill me with your love. I need to be at peace with you, and I need you to put your peace in my heart.
“I ask you to save me for your purpose. I want to know why you put me on this planet. And I want to fulfill what you made me to do. I want to learn to love you and trust you and have a relationship with you. I prayer this in the name of Jesus, amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, please write and tell me at Rick@PastorRick.com. I’d love to send you some materials as you begin your journey with Jesus.
Editorial: Why is J.B. Pritzker ducking this debate?
September 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Fifteen weeks ago, we offered the first of our 11 invitations to the campaign of J.B. Pritzker. Would he join Gov. Bruce Rauner and other candidates for governor in a spirited discussion with the Tribune Editorial Board?
Here’s a link to the editorial in the Chicago Tribune.
Obama tries to demonize Trump voters, following Hillary’s losing strategy
September 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment
Former President Obama gave the nation some insights into the Democratic Party’s midterm election strategy Friday with a political speech demonizing Americans who elected Donald Trump as president and doubling down on the failed liberal ideology that devastated our economy.
Here’s a link to the editorial at Fox News.
Pastor Rick Warren: The Forgiven Should Forgive
September 10, 2018 By Leave a Comment
By Rick Warren
“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (Colossians 3:13 NLT).
You see the one in your family who’s struggling right now as a drain on you rather than seeing her hopelessness over a desperate situation. You see the person who cut you off on the freeway as the physical embodiment of Satan instead of just a jerk who is in need of God’s love.
We are all jerks in need of God’s love. That’s why Jesus Christ came into this world. And to show people grace is to remember what God has done for us. The ultimate way God shows us grace is by forgiveness. And the ultimate way he asks us to show grace to other people is by forgiving them.
Colossians 3:13 says, “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others” (NLT).
People often ask me, “How can I find the strength to forgive? I don’t have it in me.” I don’t have it in me, either! The only place I’ve ever found the strength to forgive is to remember how much Jesus has forgiven me. When I remember that, then he gives me the strength and grace to forgive others.
Clara Barton, who founded the American Red Cross, was reminded by a friend of an especially cruel thing that somebody had done to her years before. Barton acted like she didn’t remember it, and the friend asked, “Don’t you remember?” Her famous reply was, “No, I distinctly remember forgetting it.”
What do you need to forget? If you don’t forgive, you’re not going to enjoy God’s vision for the rest of your life, because forgiveness will keep you stuck in the past. You need to forgive for your sake, and then you need to get on with your life. Forgiveness is not saying that what somebody did was right or that there shouldn’t be consequences for what happened. It just means that you let go of your anger and hurt and give it to God so that you can move on with God’s purpose for your life.
When that seems impossible, when you feel like you can’t be gracious toward someone, just remember one thing: Jesus forgave you. Remembering the grace God has shown you will give you the strength to be gracious to and forgive others.
A stopped school bus, a grouchy old guy and stopping to smell some roses
September 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment
I rushed out the door running late and a little frazzled.
With a satchel over my shoulder, carrying my laptop, phone in one hand and a stack of invoices to be mailed cradled between my chin and chest I was moving along fine until I realized that my truck was locked and the keys were in my pocket. As I tried (unsuccessfully) to fish my keys out I muttered some not-very-nice words under my breath and started sitting things down so I could gain entrance to my truck. Of course, I dropped the letters in the driveway. And, of course again, it had rained overnight.
I had scheduled back-to-back meetings for 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 that morning and with two stops to make before I left town I realized I would be life and death to make it on time to the first one. As I started my truck I looked around and realized that I had left a small notebook on my desk that had phone numbers for calls I wanted to make as I drove to my first meeting. I told you I was frazzled. I bounded from the truck and headed back in the house to retrieve the notebook. Ugggggh! This day is off to a fine start I thought as I finally backed out of the driveway.
As I drove toward the post office to mail the invoices I passed a corner that serves as a bus stop. I noticed a boy, probably high school age, sitting on the sidewalk. The unusual way he was sitting caught my attention. He appeared to be sitting back on his heels and he was tall and sort of gangly and it made for an odd site. I mumbled something under my breath about ‘being so young but too tired to stand’ … and added another line about ‘maybe too lazy to stand.’ The young boy was quickly out of my mind as I turned the corner to the post office because after all I was a busy man with a hectic schedule and I was running behind.
As I exited the alleyway from the outside postal box I turned back up the street and quickly found myself behind a bus at the same bus stop where the young man was sitting on the sidewalk. I again uttered a few oaths under my breath as I saw the red flashing lights of the school bus come on as it stopped to pick up the students. Again, I mouthed under my breath about my misfortune and all the problems I had trying to get out of town.
As I took a deep breath I noticed that even though the bus had pulled up the young boy was still in the same position. While other kids boarded the bus I noticed that he slowly started to stand and he seemed a little unsteady. He now had my full attention as I watched him put his backpack on and turn toward the bus. His steps were small and he walked with a severe limp. In another era he would have been called crippled but now in our politically correct world he is referred to as handicapped. Either way he had some major challenges just moving a few feet. His steps were labored and painful even to watch.
As I forgot about trivial things like hard to reach truck keys, forgotten notebooks, scheduled meetings and being on time I wondered if it hurt him to walk and I hoped out loud that it didn’t. I also wondered who he is, what his life is like, if navigating the hallways of school is difficult and if he has friends. I also wondered why it is that some people (certainly me on this morning) can automatically assume the worst without knowing anything about a person or a circumstance. And I retraced my steps that morning, how easily I had maneuvered through the morning, walking here, walking there and griping every step of the way about things that really didn’t matter. It was not a real proud moment for me and in fact it was one of those moments when I had to perform an attitude adjustment on myself.
As I sat and waited for his slow walk to the bus, each step making me grimace a little, I said a prayer for the young boy – a prayer that his day, his week, his school year and his life would be good. I also said a prayer for a too-busy, impatient, sometimes-grouchy old guy who needs to be reminded frequently to stop and smell the roses.
On an average weekday morning I was reminded that many times in our high-tech, fast-paced, hustle-bustle world that life-lessons are standing right on the corner just waiting for us to pass by – even if it sometimes takes the flashing red lights of a stopped school bus to get us to slow down and see them.
NFL 2018: Our national anthem brings us together as AMERICANS no matter what team we root for – Let’s stand up
September 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment
When my father-in-law (or “father-in-love” as I affectionately refer to Dan Reeves) was playing and coaching in the NFL, you’d never fail to see him standing for “The Star Spangled Banner.”
Here’s a link to the editorial at Fox News.
FCN Daily Bible Verse
September 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment
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New York Times’ op-ed and the unrelenting vendetta against Trump – RIP journalism
September 7, 2018 By Leave a Comment
This is what it’s come to — the once revered New York Times — the “paper of record” has now become the paper of rumor.
Here’s a link to the editorial at Fox News.
