stanpavkovich

“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us… Worship is pure or base as the worshiper entertains high or low thoughts of God. For this reason the gravest question before the Church is always God Himself and the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at any given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be.” ~ A.W. Tozer (via Francis Chan’s Crazy Love)

Be Blessed,

Stan

Every week my mentor e-mails a devotional out to his many friends and family.  Below is a recent devotional that I want to to share with you.

Fresh Wind in My Sails
1987-May-JOURNAL ENTRY~ Reading from notes on Jack Hayford’s message to pastors at Conference on Spiritual Renewal (CSR).

“A bad thought is not sin.  It is an arrow of the devil, a thought that could turn to lust.  Sin is when you invite it in.  You choose to not trust God, a deliberate act.  Your mind is like a hotel.   Don’t give a bed to such thoughts.  The devil waits at the desk, wanting to check in.  Don’t let him in!”

2011- January 6- REFLECTION~ Steve Brown once spoke to an assembly of pastors and leaders at the former Ft Wayne Bible College. His words have stayed with me.

“God will show you the greatness of your sin or He will allow you to sin greatly.”  There is within every one of us the ability, the capacity to sin greatly.  One of the reasons so many pastors/leaders fall is they (we) don’t think they (we) will.  God forbid that kind of deceit and arrogance.

“Generous in love-God, give grace!

Huge in mercy-wipe out my bad record.

Scrub away my guilt,

Soak out my sins in your laundry.

I know how bad I’ve been;

My sins are staring me down.

I’ve been out of step with you for a long time.

In the wrong since before I was born.

What you’re after is truth from the inside out.

Enter me, then conceive a new, true life.

Put a fresh wind in my sails!

Unbutton my lips, dear God’

I’ll let loose with your praise.” Selections from Psalm 51, The Message

Be blessed….remember God is on your side!
Stan

I came across this story as I was studying that I would like to share with you.

In the early 1900’s there was a couple that left the poverty of Europe to come to America.

It took every bit of money they had to purchase 2 tickets on a passenger ship to make the voyage to America.

They took what few belongings they had and boarded the ship.  Knowing that they could not even afford to eat on the trip – they brought hard bread.

So when everyone else went to the dining room…

they would stay in their room and eat this hard bread and dry meat.

On several nights they would venture out and walk past the dining room…

And they would see people gorging themselves on all this food…

And the smell was just overwhelming.

They were hungry but not starving….

But they were going to America.

At the close of the voyage there are standing on the deck of the ship and they are looking out it

It is a beautiful day and the captain happens to come by….

He strolled by and stopped and introduced himself

And said…. “Usually I get around and meet all the passengers during the dinner hour.  I don’t think I have ever seen you in the dining area.”

And the man explained that they barely had enough to get the tickets to go to America….

But they didn’t have enough to afford the food.

And a look of sadness hit the captain’s face ….

He said, “I’m so sorry they didn’t explain to you that the meals were included in the price of the tickets.”

They could have been eating 3 square meals a day and sitting in this beautiful dining room…

But they didn’t know. And they did without.

Sometimes as a pastor I feel like that captain looking at some people as they are eating dried meat and hard bread and there are 3 meals waiting for them.

They have not figured out how God wants to meet their need ….And how God is on their side.

I would encourage you to dig into God this year don’t miss what God has for you.

Be Blessed,

Stan

As I was reading the paper this morning a copy of an article by Erma Bombeck really jumped out at me.  So much so, that I wanted to share it with you.  We could all use a reminder of the importance of keeping things in perspective.

“If I Had My Life to Live Over”

“I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten popcorn in the “good” living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television and more while watching life.  I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later.  Now go get washed up for dinner.”  There would have been more “I love you’s;” more “I’m sorry’s.”

But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute…look at it and really see it…live it and never give it back.  STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don’t worry about who doesn’t like you, who has more, or who’s doing what!

Instead, let’s cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.”

Blessings,

Pastor Stan

As I was studying this week I came across this statement that I want to share with you…

Thousands of people in this world profess to be happy without God. But if we could be truly happy and moral without Jesus, then why did He come? He came because that kind of happiness and peace is only superficial. Jesus Christ came to “bring . . . a sword” through every kind of peace that is not based on a personal relationship with Himself.

Experience real peace this Christmas through the Prince of Peace,

Stan

I received an email with the following story and wanted to share it with you.  It is a great reminder of what the true meaning of the Christmas season is.  Be sure to click on the link at the end of the story.

Remember to invite a friend out to our Christmas Eve Services next Friday!

While at the mall a couple of years ago, my then four year old nephew, Spencer, saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the holiday that Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus, he asked his mom, “where’s the line to see Jesus”? My sister mentioned this to my dad, who immediately became inspired and jotted words down to a song in just a few minutes.

After putting music to the words, and doing a quick recording at home, he received a great response from friends. He sent the song off to  Nashville  without much response, except for a Christian song writer who suggested adding a bridge at the end of the first chorus. My dad then asked if I wanted to record the song to see what we could do with it. I listened to the song, made a few changes to the words to make it flow better, and we headed to Shock City Studios.

It was at the studio where Chris, owner and producer, rewrote the 2nd verse and part of the chorus… with goosebumps and emotions high, we were all hopeful and felt like we had something special. The demo was recorded in just under 2 hours and sent off again to  Nashville … still no response.

Then 2 weeks before Christmas last year, my cousins Greg and Robbie decided to do a video to see what we could accomplish on YouTube. The first day we had 3000 hits and it soared from there. We received e-mails, phone calls, Facebook messages from people all over asking for the music, CD’s, iTunes, anything… we had nothin’.

After a couple of meetings with Chris following the amazing response, we got serious. We headed back into the studio this past spring… this time with guitars, drums, bass, pianos, choirs… the real deal…. and here we are today. Getting iTunes set up, a website put together, and loving that thousands upon thousands of Christians have come together… remembering the true meaning of Christmas.

Out of the mouths of babes come profound truths that many adults cannot understand. Hopefully Spencer’s observation will cause people all over to reflect on the love of Jesus, and that one day we will all stand in line to see Him. We are most thankful to our Heavenly Father to have this chance to share our music with you. Merry Christmas everyone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_883236&v=OExXItDyWEY

“When He Has Come” By Oswald Chambers

When He has come, He will convict the world of sin . . . John 16:8

Very few of us know anything about conviction of sin. We know the experience of being disturbed because we have done wrong things. But conviction of sin by the Holy Spirit blots out every relationship on earth and makes us aware of only one— “Against You, You only, have I sinned . . .” (Psalm 51:4). When a person is convicted of sin in this way, he knows with every bit of his conscience that God would not dare to forgive him. If God did forgive him, then this person would have a stronger sense of justice than God. God does forgive, but it cost the breaking of His heart with grief in the death of Christ to enable Him to do so. The great miracle of the grace of God is that He forgives sin, and it is the death of Jesus Christ alone that enables the divine nature to forgive and to remain true to itself in doing so. It is shallow nonsense to say that God forgives us because He is love. Once we have been convicted of sin, we will never say this again. The love of God means Calvary— nothing less! The love of God is spelled out on the Cross and nowhere else. The only basis for which God can forgive me is the Cross of Christ. It is there that His conscience is satisfied.

Forgiveness doesn’t merely mean that I am saved from hell and have been made ready for heaven (no one would accept forgiveness on that level). Forgiveness means that I am forgiven into a newly created relationship which identifies me with God in Christ. The miracle of redemption is that God turns me, the unholy one, into the standard of Himself, the Holy One. He does this by putting into me a new nature, the nature of Jesus Christ.

Remember as we enter into the Christmas season that it is all about Jesus and the new life that He has made possible for us by coming to earth.

Be Blessed,

Stan

The Thanksgiving Table: The Stuffing by David Jeremiah

What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?
Psalm 116:12

The oldest references to stuffing are in ancient Roman cookbooks that talk about vegetables, herbs, spices, and cereal being combined and “stuffed” into chicken, rabbits, and pigs. Romans also added liver and brains to their stuffing. Stuffing has appeared in cookbooks ever since and was quite popular at Medieval banquets. The sensibilities of the Victorians resisted the word “stuffing,” substituting the more delicate word “dressing,” a term that caught on in the Southern United States.

The word “stuff” means to cram full. For example, after we’ve had our fill of turkey, beans, potatoes, rolls, cranberry sauce (and stuffing), we’ll lean back in our chairs and say, “I’m stuffed.”

Well, try not to overeat; but this Thanksgiving, remember how God has “stuffed” our lives with blessings. The cheerful heart has a continual feast (Proverbs 15:15). “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another” (John 1:16, NIV). Our cups overflow. When it comes to His bounty and benefits, we can truly say, “I’m stuffed!”

We bless the Lord, the just, the good, who fills our hearts with joy and food; who pours His blessing from the skies, and loads our days with rich supplies.
Isaac Watts

Be blessed and have a wonderful Thanksgiving,

Stan

What is a friend? Friends are people with whom you dare to be yourself. Your soul can be naked with them. They ask you to put on nothing, only to be what you are. They do not want you to be better or worse. When you are with them, you feel as a prisoner feels who has been declared innocent. You do not have to be on your guard. You can say what you think, as long as it is genuinely you. Friends understand those contradictions in your nature that lead others to misjudge you. With them you breathe freely. You can avow your little vanities and envies and hates and vicious sparks, your meannesses and absurdities, and in opening them up to friends, they are lost, dissolved on the white ocean of their loyalty. They understand. You do not have to be careful. You can abuse them, neglect them, tolerate them. Best of all, you can keep still with them. It makes no matter. They like you. They are like fire that purges to the bone. They understand. You can weep with them, sing with them, laugh with them, pray with them. Through it all–and underneath–they see, know, and love you. A friend? What is a friend? Just one, I repeat, with whom you dare to be yourself.

C. Raymond Beran, in Bits & Pieces, September 19, 1991, p. 3-4.

 The Bible tells us that Moses was a friend of God – and in the New Testament we are told that Jesus  desires us to be His friend.  What a God we serve!  We can be a friend of God through Jesus Christ.

Be Blessed,

Stan

Impulsiveness or Discipleship?

Oct 21 2010

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith . . . —Jude 20

 There was nothing of the nature of impulsive or thoughtless action about our Lord, but only a calm strength that never got into a panic. Most of us develop our Christianity along the lines of our own nature, not along the lines of God’s nature. Impulsiveness is a trait of the natural life, and our Lord always ignores it, because it hinders the development of the life of a disciple. Watch how the Spirit of God gives a sense of restraint to impulsiveness, suddenly bringing us a feeling of self-conscious foolishness, which makes us instantly want to vindicate ourselves. Impulsiveness is all right in a child, but is disastrous in a man or woman—an impulsive adult is always a spoiled person. Impulsiveness needs to be trained into intuition through discipline.

Discipleship is built entirely on the supernatural grace of God. Walking on water is easy to someone with impulsive boldness, but walking on dry land as a disciple of Jesus Christ is something altogether different. Peter walked on the water to go to Jesus, but he “followed Him at a distance” on dry land (Mark 14:54). We do not need the grace of God to withstand crises—human nature and pride are sufficient for us to face the stress and strain magnificently. But it does require the supernatural grace of God to live twenty-four hours of every day as a saint, going through drudgery, and living an ordinary, unnoticed, and ignored existence as a disciple of Jesus. It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, and holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people—and this is not learned in five minutes.

By Oswald Chambers