Outward Appearances

We live in a world where appearances are every thing… at least that is the way it seems to be for the most part! Keeping up appearances seems to be a full time job for many people in our North American context. Many people today spend time extraordinary amounts of time, money, and energy attempting to keep up the appearance that they are successful and better than the person next to them.

However… all this time and energy that we spend inflating our place in this world can come crumbling down around us in an instant! One phone call from the doctor with some test results can bring us down to earth pretty quickly. A late night visit from the local authorities with news of deadly car accident can take the false foundations we create right out from underneath us. A world-wide recession can cause our house of cards to come tumbling down, exposing the real truth behind who we really are, rather than who we have attempted to portray ourselves to be!

The reality is… we waste inordinate amounts of energy each and every day attempting to portray to the world around us a good image but God is NEVER interested in appearances... in image!

In the 16th chapter of the Old Testament book of 1st Samuel… the Bible records for us exactly how God feels about outward appearances.

Check out what the author writes…

“Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.” 2 But Samuel asked, “How can I do that? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.” “Take a heifer with you,” the Lord replied, “and say that you have come to make a sacrifice to the Lord. 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you which of his sons to anoint for me.” 4 So Samuel did as the Lord instructed. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town came trembling to meet him. “What’s wrong?” they asked. “Do you come in peace?” 5 “Yes,” Samuel replied. “I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Purify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then Samuel performed the purification rite for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice, too. 6 When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8 Then Jesse told his son Abinadab to step forward and walk in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “This is not the one the Lord has chosen.” 9 Next Jesse summoned Shimea, but Samuel said, “Neither is this the one the Lord has chosen.” 10 In the same way all seven of Jesse’s sons were presented to Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” “There is still the youngest,” Jesse replied. “But he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” “Send for him at once,” Samuel said. “We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” 12 So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.” 13 So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. Then Samuel returned to Ramah.” 1st Samuel 16:1-13 NLT

In this section of 1st Samuel… the prophet Samuel was given the responsibility of anointing the new King of Israel. As he stood with Jesse his initial reactions to the sons of Jesse was very much the kind of reaction we would expect still today.

When he took one look at Jesse’s oldest son his initial reaction was one that still permeates our culture today. Eliab was tall, dark, and handsome! He had the look of someone that people would follow. In our culture we would say that he had the look that would turn heads when he entered a room! Eliab had charisma and by outward appearances he had what Jesse would thought it would take... to lead the nation of Israel!

However… God in verse 7 reminds Samuel… and each of us that God doesn’t look at outward appearances. He tells Samuel that He doesn’t judge by appearances, by the things we allow to formulate our opinions.

In verse 7... Our Heavenly Father tells this prophet that we are quick to judge by appearances... BUT He looks deeper, He looks at the heart!

Now… when God says He looks at the heart what He wants us to know is He judges people based upon their faith and their character. Most people today spend hours each day attempting to maintain their outward appearances but God who sees what is really going on… judges on the inside!

You see… according to God what really matters is what is going on in the heart… on the inside! God deeply cares about our heart’s attitude and our character because the REAL goal of life and faith is... for us to continually grow in the character of His Son!

When David entered the picture on that day, God saw someone who had a heart for God’s will and purposes. He saw a young man who by outward appearances, who by worldly standards, did not measure up! But by heavenly perspectives, God saw a young man who had everything it would take to lead the nation into the prominence that God desired for His favored people!

Now… let me ask you a simple question:

“What would our world look like today, if God’s people were spending more time seeking to build their character rather than worrying what the person next to them thought?”

You see... in God’s Kingdom… God is looking for people who are committed to becoming like His Son… who are dedicated to building the inside… rather than working so hard to look the part!

The TRUTH is...God cares deeply about the core of our lives rather than the covering!

Today… let me challenge you to look deeply into your lives… and to consider how much time and efforts you spend in building outward appearances!

Do you spend more time on the outside than you spend on the inside?

Well… if you do maybe today is the day to make a change for the better! Maybe today is the day to spend some time and energy building on what really lasts!

Pressing into God on the journey…

Rev Trev

Nothing is Ever Wasted!

In his first letter to the churches in the city of Corinth Paul writes in response to many questions that the people were facing due to people who were challenging Paul’s authority and leadership. The challenges also came against the people in Corinth who also faced a variety of challenges and difficulties as they worked together to move the message of faith in Jesus Christ forward in their community. Along the way what eventually happened is DISCOURAGEMENT began to set in! The people were feeling down and maybe even depressed because their efforts were seemingly falling on deaf ears!

Challenges can do that to us... can't they?

Now, Paul understood this and so did our Lord. You see, the TRUTH is... Jesus understands this reality all too well! In the gospel accounts we read about many encounters that Jesus had with people who simply did not believe no matter what he did in their midst. This was most apparent when Jesus attempted to minister in his own hometown of Nazareth. The people there were non-receptive to his ministry and did not believe that the carpenter’s son could possibly be the long awaited Messiah. At the end of this encounter Jesus told them…

“A prophet is honoured everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” 5 And because of their unbelief, he couldn’t do any mighty miracles among them except to place his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief.” (Mark 6:4-6 NLT)

Now… I really couldn’t say that Jesus was discouraged by this but being human as well as divine I am sure he wasn’t overjoyed by their response to his attempt to bring them into a new understanding of God’s kingdom! Challenges… disbelief… apathy… pride… selfishness… and many other attitudes of the heart and mind can cause us to face discouragement as we attempt to communicate the message of our Lord to the world he has placed around us! That is how the Corinthian people were feeling as they tried to connect with the people in their community but listen to what Paul said to them in the 15th chapter of his first letter…

“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” (1st Corinthians 15:58 NLT)

Paul encourages those who were working to bring the Good News to their community to “be strong and steady” which is his call to them to be DEPENDABLE as they serve their Lord. Even in the midst of the challenges they were facing Paul understood that dependability over time brought success along the way especially where God is concerned! Paul also challenged his discouraged partners in the gospel to “be always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work”… which is difficult when things don’t seem to be happening in the way that we think they should. However, Paul calls them to be “enthusiastic” or another way to say it would be to be “hope-filled” when it comes to our efforts in spreading the message of the Cross!

So WHY could Paul suggest these things in the midst of the challenges and discouragement they were facing?

Well... just read the book of Acts! Like Jesus… Paul faced much opposition along the way. He faced trials… tests… temptation… threats… and all sorts of difficulties during his ministry journeys. BUT… Paul understood something that he also communicated with these friends of his in Corinth… and that is he understood that “NOTHING” is useless when done with the right heart and the right attitude.

Paul understood that we serve not for RESULTS but because God calls us to serve!

God is the one who controls the results which is something that is often hard for many of us to understand! He is the one who engages those around us with His Spirit and we are not responsible for what people do with the message! Our call as God’s people is to serve our Lord faithfully… dependably… and with enthusiasm… leaving the results in His hands because we know that nothing we do is useless when God is working with us!

Pressing forward on the journey…

Rev Trev

God wants it ALL!

Well, this week I’ve finally gotten back to blogging and before we jump into this week’s topic I just want to thank everyone for their kind words and thoughts.

A couple of weeks ago my Dad passed away at the ripe old age of 86. He passed away in his sleep and so we’ve been kind of preoccupied with many of the issues and concerns that arise in a family when a death occurs. So, once again, I want to offer up a HUGE thank-you to each and every one of you who have blessed our family during this time with your kind thoughts, words, and actions!

So, this week during my personal time with God I spent some time reflecting on a marvellous psalm written by David where he vividly contrasts the differences between those who chose to live for God and those who don’t!

In the Psalm 37… verse 23… David writes…

“The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in every detail of their lives!” Psalm 37:23 NLT

Now… personally as I minister among God’s people one of the interesting things that I often encounter is people who misbelieve that God is too busy to be bothered! Have you ever met someone who thinks this way? Or more personally, have you ever believed this mistruth? You see… over time I have met many Christ followers who when pressed… who honesty admitted that for the most part they believe that God is either too busy… or too important to be bothered with their stuff!

But nothing could be further from the TRUTH!

Honestly, this is nothing more than a form of self-pity when it really comes down to it! Or maybe it might be a form or self-degradation… because in this amazing verse David reveals a biblical truth about our Creator God and that is…

God DELIGHTS in every detail of our lives!

Now… let me ask you some important questions… How many details does David mention in this verse? What kinds of things does David say God is interested in? Which ones are important to Him?

Well in this amazing verse… David tells us that EVERY DETAIL… not just the big ones… or the urgent one… but every single detail of His people’s lives are important to Him! You see… David tells us in this little verse that is often easy to miss as we read this amazing psalm about our trust in God and our ability to wait patiently on Him to act… that God DELIGHTS Himself in every detail of our lives!

Now… this leads me to something I want you to consider along with me today… and that is…

What do you think happens when we withhold the details of our lives from God?

You see… the reality that David lets us in on in this verse is simply this… and that is… when we withhold some of the details of our lives because we falsely believe God is too busy or too big… we withhold from God the DELIGHTS of His heart!

Now… this is very important for us to understand as we journey with God because God wants that personal relationship with us where we share with Him and He leads and guides us in His Will and purposes for our lives along the way! God just doesn’t want to be involved in only certain areas that we determine are important to Him… or that we think He wants to know about! God wants to be involved in all areas of our lives… in every area… and when we allow Him that kind of access it DELIGHTS His heart! It PLEASES Him when we trust Him to be actively engaged in every area of our lives!

You see… the reality is one could easily say that God wants is ALL!

When it comes to the way in which we engage Him in the journey of life and faith. He wants every area of our lives to be open to His leading and guidance. And as we allow Him this kind of access into our lives… what David also mentions in this verse is that God DIRECTS the steps of those who connect with Him in this way!

So… the next time that you’re tempted to falsely believe that some detail of life is too small to bring before the ONE who desires nothing less… I pray that you will think twice and learn from the wisdom of David in this psalm! ‘

Because the TRUTH is… God really does want it ALL… He does want to know it ALL when it comes to the details of our lives… because He DELIGHTS in that kind of relationship with His chosen people!Till next week… may God delight in you!

Rev Trev

Our Problem Still?

In the gospel of Matthew in chapter 22, Matthew records a story of Jesus discussing the resurrection with the religious leaders of that era. During this theological debate Jesus in verse 29 says to these intellectual and religious scholars these words…

“Your problem is that you don’t know the Scriptures, and you don’t know the power of God.” (Matthew 22:29 NLT)

What a powerful statement to make during a discussion with those so-called experts in the field of religion and God! Jesus in a challenging discussion on an issue that separated these Jewish leaders boldly proclaimed that they really didn’t know what they were talking about!

You see, I believe this is one of the most powerful statements that Jesus made during His ministry among us. To challenge these leaders in the area that they prided themselves in was huge! The Sadducees and the Pharisees believed they had God and His ways all figured out. They spent hours of their lives studying the Law and the Torah; they spent inordinate amounts of time practicing the appropriate rituals and sacrifices. Yet, when push came to shove, Jesus boldly proclaimed that after all their efforts they really did not understand the TRUTH of the Scriptures as God set them out for us!

Now, as I ponder this statement for us today, I can’t help but wonder out loud… “Could this be said of us today… of me?”

Far too often today as a pastor and a fellow sojourner on the Way, I seem to encounter people who claim to follow God, but who are very uninformed about the fullness of what God’s Word reveals to us! And more often than I wish, I encounter people who have really never read the fullness of the Bible in its entirety! More and more these days, I run into people in church today who rarely open their Bibles on a regular basis and therefore they’re not fully aware of what God teaches or desires from His people!

You know, our biggest challenge today for people who follow God is to KNOW and EXPERIENCE God in the fullness of relationship. To KNOW God and to EXPERIENCE God requires that we know about Him and what makes Him tick! And the Bible is one of the greatest tools in the believer’s arsenal when it comes to connecting with God and allowing His ways and thoughts to penetrate our lives! The Scriptures are designed to be our guide in relationship to God and His ways! They are intended to be the principles and values that lead our words, our actions, and our thoughts!

Now, I wonder what Jesus might say to us today? Could His words be repeated to our generation? My hope and prayer is that they would not be but in order for that to happen we need to become the people of the Word that God desires for us to become! We need to learn and grow in our knowledge of God both intellectually (although we will never fully comprehend all of who God is) and intimately for Jesus’ words to not ring true for our generation!

Praying that God will grant you the power to KNOW Him through His Word today!

In Christ,

Rev Trev

The Virtue of Criticism

In the Old Testament book of Proverbs, a collection of wisdom writings gathered, and sometimes authored by King Solomon, in the 13th chapter these words are recorded…

“If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept criticism you will be honoured.” (Psalm 13:18 NLT)

Now, I don’t know about you, but these are very tough words for me to swallow! Personally, I think that criticism is difficult to hear for most of us, whether we think we deserve it or not! The reality is, no one likes to be told that they have chosen poorly, or they failed to live up to some expectations, or someone’s expectations! So, for most of my life I grew up with the attitude that is pretty familiar to many of us and that is the outlook that comes from the old adage that says…

“Nobody likes a critic!”

However, in this verse Solomon, one of the wisest people to have ever walked this planet states that to ignore criticism causes us to end in poverty and disgrace! Solomon tell us that to ignore, to turn our backs to our critics causes us to fall short (to put it mildly) in life and faith!

Now, the Hebrew word that is used here is the word “muwcar” (pronounced moo-sawr’) and it literally means “to discipline, chasten, or correct”. Other translations of this verse use some of these words instead of the word that makes many of us flinch and that is the word criticism. Still, I think the reality remains the same no matter what word we use in our translation attempts, because most of us don’t like to be disciplined by someone, much less to be corrected or chastened!

But in this verse, Solomon echoes a theme that runs throughout this Old Testament book! In chapter 15, verse 31 we read these words…

“If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.” (Proverbs 15:31 NLT)

And in chapter 29, verse 1 we read…

“Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be broken beyond repair.” (Proverbs 29:1 NLT)

You see, in each of these verses and many others that instruct us on this difficult issue, we are challenged to understand the virtue of criticism. When we are criticized for something in life Solomon reminds us that a more godly and appropriate response is to take the criticism raised and to listen and reflect… rather than to respond and react! A wonderful mentor of mine, and an incredibly godly example to me, has often reminded me that in life and ministry that I need to walk towards my critics, rather than turn and run from them! Now, I have to admit that for many years this has been a challenge but over time I have come to learn that there are many things I can learn from some of the criticisms that come my way if I am willing to listen and reflect!

Now, let me say that one of the best ways to reflect on some of the things that come our way from the critics in our lives is to take them to trusted friends who know us well. We need to be willing to share with them what has been brought to our attention and to ask them to be honest with us! We need to be willing to ask them to honestly respond to the criticisms that have been brought our way. And then we need to be willing to listen carefully to their response! The truth is, we may be surprised what by what is shared with us. Also, and just as importantly I believe that we need to take these same criticisms before our Lord! We need to take some time with God to reflect on the criticisms and the comments of our trusted companions along the journey of life and faith! We need to ask God to make known to us the TRUTH that we need to learn from the things that have been revealed to us! And then we need to make every effort to implement into our lives what we have learned through this process!

Now, I believe this is what Solomon is trying to tell us to do in this passage. Because what we learn from embracing the virtue of criticism, can lead us to make changes where necessary that allow us to live more God honouring lives! They can challenge us to switch directions in areas where we might not be walking with the kind of values and integrity that we may truly desire in life!

You know, the old famous preacher and evangelist Charles Spurgeon gets the last word on the virtue of criticism, speaking to a group of people he once said this…

“Get a friend to tell you your faults, or better still, welcome an enemy who will watch you keenly and sting you savagely. What a blessing such an irritating critic will be to a wise man, what an intolerable nuisance to a fool!” (Leadership Magazine Vol. 3, no. 2.)


Praying that you may always walk towards your critics…

Rev Trev

By God's Grace

In the 13th chapter of the book of Acts after an encounter with believers in Antioch, where Paul and Barnabas preached the Good News to the Jews and Gentiles (the religious and not so religious) they end their time with them with some words of encouragement. Here is what they urged them to focus on…

“By God’s grace remain faithful!” (Acts 13:43b NLT)

Now… this is a really interesting verse from the recollection of Paul’s first missionary travels. In this verse, Paul and Barnabas with their parting words to the believers in this city chose to remind them to be faithful to what they had shared with them concerning the Good News of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the Cross. These are good words for every one of us who have turned our lives over to God in this journey of life and faith. But what makes this so incredible for me as I read it today, are the three words they chose in front of their call to faithfulness.

The three words… “By God’s grace!”

You see… with these words of encouragement, these men of faith remind them of something we are often prone to forget along the way. That it is by God’s grace that we are able to remain faithful to God’s call on our lives individually and corporately! Far too often when it comes to our faithfulness we can often get off track by falsely believing that we are responsible for our ability to be faithful along the way. We often can be subtly led to believe that if we are to be faithful people then we are the ones who make it happen by our actions, attitudes, and abilities! I see this in my own life and in the lives of those that God has allowed me to walk beside in the journey of pastoral ministry. Sometimes we think that if we just persevere under the challenges, or if we just pray enough, or if we just read enough, that we will be seen as faithful to our LORD and Saviour! However, with these final words of encouragement to the early believers in Antioch, Paul and Barnabas remind them and us that it is ONLY by God’s grace that we are made faithful before our Holy God! God’s incredible grace covers us as we attempt to live and serve God as His people on this planet. God’s grace gives us the strength we need to persevere… it protects us when we are tempted to stray… and it provides the covering we need when we have walked in ways that are unpleasing to God! The truth is, without God’s grace it is difficult, if not impossible, for us to remain faithful to God’s calling on our lives individually and corporately. But by His grace we are able to live faithfully according to His Will and His plans and purposes for our lives!

With encouragement along the journey,

Rev Trev

Seeking God's Best

Hey gang… here is the blog for this week… I hope it connects with you and challenges you to seek God’s best!

In Psalm 122, in verse 9, David, the author of many of the psalms found in the Old Testament book that bears that name, writes these words…

“For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek what is best for you…”
Psalm 122 9a NLT

In this psalm David was not praying to God and seeking the best for himself… instead he was praying for God’s best for those around him!

You know, for the most part today we are so focused on ourselves that I wonder how often we could say that we pray in this same way! I know personally that I was challenged when I read through this psalm recently. How often am I simply praying that God would bless those in my life… and those around me with His best? I know I pray for people when there are issues and problems… like any good pastor is supposed to... BUT… how much time do I simply pray like David in this passage?

Now… what is interesting is David prefaces his statement by saying… “for the house of the LORD…” which means he prayed for God’s best for people so the church would be strengthened and built up! WOW! As I read this simple statement, I can’t help but wonder out loud, what our church community would look like if we took David’s example to heart! What would happen at Discovery Church of Ridge Meadows “IF” we began to daily pray for God’s best for each other? What if we prayed for God’s peace and provision? What would happen if we prayed for God’s leading and guidance for those around us? What might our church family look like “IF” we simply took up this challenge each day?

Well… I have to admit that I don’t fully know “WHAT” our church fellowship would look like if we committed to this principle that David attempted to live out… BUT I do know one thing… our lives would be changed and transformed in ways that God only knows!

So… here is my challenge for each one of you… and that is simply this… would you be willing to join me in this prayer for our community and our friends? You don’t have to pray for everyone by name and you don’t need to pray the same words as David… all you need to do is have the right heart and intention behind your prayers and I believe God will do the rest!

May it be said of you and me… for the sake of the family of God that they seek what is BEST for those God has placed around them!

Praying God’s best for you this week…

Rev Trev

“The LORD is faithful in all He says; He is gracious in all He does!”

Psalm 145:13b NLT