stanpavkovich

In my study time, I came across this great piece that I wanted to share with you. Patience, trust and faith go hand – in – hand and this is some encouragement for the journey.

                                             THE PATIENCE OF FAITH
“Because thou hast kept the word of My patience.” Revelation 3:10
Patience is more than endurance. A saint’s life is in the hands of God like a bow and arrow in the hands of an archer. God is aiming at something the saint cannot see, and He stretches and strains, and every now and again the saint says – “I cannot stand any more.” God does not heed, He goes on stretching till His purpose is in sight, then He lets fly. Trust yourself in God’s hands. For what have you need of patience just now? Maintain your relationship to Jesus Christ by the patience of faith. “Though He slay me, yet will I wait for Him.”
Faith is not a pathetic sentiment, but robust vigorous confidence built on the fact that God is holy love. You cannot see Him just now, you cannot understand what He is doing, but you know Him. Shipwreck occurs where there is not that mental poise which comes from being established on the eternal truth that God is holy love. Faith is the heroic effort of your life; you fling yourself in reckless confidence on God.
God has ventured all in Jesus Christ to save us, now He wants us to venture our all in abandoned confidence in Him. There are spots where that faith has not worked in us as yet, places untouched by the life of God. There were none of those spots in Jesus Christ’s life, and there are to be none in ours. “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee.” The real meaning of eternal life is a life that can face anything it has to face without wavering. If we take this view, life becomes one great romance, a glorious opportunity for seeing marvelous things all the time. God is disciplining us to get us into this central place of power.

Blessings,
Pastor Stan

This weekend is Mother’s Day. It is a time set aside to honor and show appreciation to the person that brought us into the world, nurtured us and cared for us – our mothers.

So often whether you are a mother or not, we forget how our lives can impact not only people currently around us, but also can impact future generations. One such person is Naomi, a mother whose story is found in the Old Testament; a story that is often overlooked.

Her family had to move to a foreign country because of a terrible famine. And while they were there, her sons married. But in time, her husband and sons died and she decided it was time to return to her home in Bethlehem.

Here is the cool thing… she was so dedicated to God, that her daughter-in-law, Ruth decided she wanted that life for herself as well. Ruth was so impressed by the dedication of Naomi’s life to God, she told Naomi, “Your people shall be my people and your God shall be my God.” From that day forward Ruth turned her back on the old life she used to live and embraced a new life she found in God.

Because of Naomi’s influence, Ruth influenced her family, and Ruth’s love for God was so powerful that her great grandson became one of the most influential men of the Old Testament – David, King of Israel.

Ultimately, Ruth is one of the few women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
All this took place because one woman, Naomi… built her life around her dedication to God.

Often we’re simply focused on the influence that we have right here and right now on our children, grandchildren, etc. But the life of a man or woman who give themselves totally to God can have a ripple that will impact generations to come.

Have you ever gone through a season of life where it just seems like there are more trials then there are victories? And when you pray it just seems like God is not listening… there is just this silence that you seem to be feeling from God. I remember reading something that really helped me when I face those seasons in life, which we all do. It said that in those of times of silence with God it is when He is testing you. It is like when you were taking a test in school… the teacher was silent during the test but would resume talking when the test was completed. I found that to be so true in my life.

I came across a story this past week I hope will encourage you…
A man and a woman entered a china shop in England. The man admired a beautiful teacup on a shelf and asked to look at it. “I’ve never seen a teacup like it. It’s beautiful!” Suddenly the teacup spoke. “You don’t understand. I haven’t always been a teacup. There was a time when I was nothing but red clay. My master rolled and kneaded and pounded me over and over and I yelled, ‘Leave me alone!’ But he only smiled and said, ‘Not yet.’ Then I was placed on a spinning wheel,” the teacup said, “suddenly I was spun around and around and around. ‘Stop it! I’m getting dizzy!’ I screamed. The master only nodded and said, ‘Not yet.’ Then he put me in an oven. I’ve never felt such heat! I wonder why he wanted to burn me. And I yelled and I knocked on the door and I could see him through the opening and read his lips as he shook his head: ‘Not yet.’ Finally, the door did open. He put me on the shelf and I began to cool down. ‘There. That’s better,’ I said. Then suddenly, he took me and brushed me and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible! I thought I would gag. ‘Stop it! Stop it!’ I cried. He only nodded. ‘Not yet.’ Then suddenly, he put me back in an oven—not the first one, but one twice as hot! I knew I would suffocate. I begged, I pleaded, I screamed, I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening, nodding his head and saying, ‘Not yet.’ And I knew there would be no hope and I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on a shelf. An hour later, he handed me a mirror and said, ‘Look at yourself.’ And I did. And I said, ‘That’s not me! It couldn’t be me! I’m beautiful.’ He said, ‘I want you to remember; I know it hurt to be rolled and pounded. But if I’d left you, you would have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I’d stopped, you would have crumbled. I know it hurt and it was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn’t put you there, you would have cracked. I know the fumes were bad when I brushed you and painted you all over; but if I hadn’t, you would never have hardened. There would have been no color to your life. And if I hadn’t put you back in the second over, you would not have survived for very long and the hardness would not have held. Now you are a finished product. You’re what I had in mind when I first began with you.’”

Some of you are hurting. Some of you are suffering for one reason or another. God may be doing something special in you and you don’t even recognize it.

God is conforming us to the image of Jesus Christ.
Although at times the process may be painful, he says, “I’m going see you through it….in the end your life is going to be something vey beautiful.”

Be Blessed,
Stan

If you look around at peoples faces these days there are a lot of worried people out there. Maybe you are one of them.

Maybe you are worried about your finances or your health…or a relationship or an entirely different situation. And you are saying today… I’ve got to have some hope. Jesus gives us that hope.

Matthew 6:5-8 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

If you are a follower of Jesus you should take comfort
Because our Father in heaven knows what we need even before we ask.

In other words no one reading this has ever shared information with God that He did not know.

One of the reasons we don’t need to worry is if we need something God already knows what we need.
He is that awesome.

For most of us if we were to be real honest – I would say for all of us He has been meeting needs that we didn’t even know we had for a real long time.
Because…He is that good.

Matt. 6:27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

Nobody said my life started to get better when I started to worry…no one ever said that.

Matt. 6:28-34″And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Pagans are people who did not know Jesus… in other words one of the identifying marks to somebody in this society that did not know Jesus is that they were worried…

As a Christian who claims that God is sovereign…God says that is awesome, now I want you to live like that way.

He says that the people who don’t know me – they should worry – but the people who know me have no right to worry.

God reigns over everyone and everything…

From Wall Street to our street – God reigns.

Put God first in every area of your life and watch what he will do.

Be Blessed,
Pastor Stan

“When God Ran”, I love that old song! It tells a little different story than what the title would presume. It talks about God running straight for us, taking us in His arms holding our heads to His chest proclaiming how happy He is that we came home to Him and offers us forgiveness.

Someone asked the other day if God actually walks away from us or “takes a break from us”… my response was; No ~ the bible has many verses on the subject~ such as “I will never leave you nor forsake you” , “I am with you always, yea even til the end of the earth”. He tells us He will be with us in the bad times as well as the good times. I know as a parent and even as a grandparent the love that I have for my kids and grandkids is so strong that I would never abandon them in their time of need. How much greater love does the “Father” have for us that He laid down His life for us. I have a hard time believing that a love so great would walk away from us even in the good time. When my kids or grandkids are having a great time doing something, I WANT to be there. I don’t see it as a time to walk away and just let them celebrate on their own. Just like when my kids are going through a hard time, I want to be there for them as well; not just ignore their pain and leave them stranded until times are happy and good again.

I think that sometimes we may not feel God’s presence or we don’t get the answers we want or perhaps no answers at all and we feel like God has deserted us or walked away from us. Perhaps we can’t feel His presence because we’ve been too busy, noisy, or preoccupied with our lives that we haven’t focused enough on Him to feel His presence or to hear His answers. Maybe, just maybe it’s US doing the walking away from or deserting and not HIM. Could it be that He is actually standing there waiting for us to turn around and run back to Him so that He can run to us. What an amazing thought!!!!

One sure fire way to know ~ turn towards God and start running with all your might towards Him and see what happens. He won’t let you down, He is standing there ready with his arms opened wide just for YOU!!!
One other old song that is appropriate for closing this thought is, “Soul be still, my… soul be still and know that… HE… is GOD!!!!!

May your running be full of pure JOY as you run after HIM… God Bless

I read recently read where one person said his earlier view of life…. was life was like a roller coaster with its ups and downs…. the good being the ups and the down being the bad. But as he has gotten older and wiser he now views life as mixture of both. The good and the bad all the time. That on any given day you can point to what is going well and you can point to what is not going so well in your life…. Family could be going well… job not so well…. job and family going well…. but health not so well.

And obviously some situations will be more difficult then others.

When we face the difficult situations in life…. it challenges our faith. What are we going to believe about God and his plan?…. Is God punishing me? …. Did God forget about me?…. Did he leave me? ….. I thought God loved me and cared about me. …. Aren’t God’s plans to prosper me to give me a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11)?

If we are honest with ourselves some of these questions can mess with our heads.

If you are in the middle of a difficult situation in your life, I want to encourage you with two things. 1) God has a plan. Even if your own sin or bad decision has put you in the place you are in, God is still in control. …. You may not see him or his plan right now or even for several years down the road while you are going through this struggle. Keep trusting in God and following him through the storm and he will show you one day how your situation turn fits into his plan. …. His plans are indeed good because he loves you. As Romans 8:38 says, “God works for the good of those who love him who are called according to his purpose.” Continue to love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and walk in his ways. Think of this as a time to draw closer to God. There are times when we may need to change our plans to fit his plans. …. Or change our thinking about something.

Second, I want you to know God is with you. God has not abandoned you or forsaken you because he loves you. We have the promise from Jesus, that as his disciples, those who love him and follow him, he will be with us always to the very end of the age Mt. 28:20. His Spirit is with us in a real, tangible way even if you don’t feel his presence at the moment.

Be Blessed,
Stan

We all have any number of visions and ideals when we are young, but sooner or later we find that we have no power to make them real. We cannot do the things we long to do, and we are apt to settle down to the visions and ideals as dead, and God has to come and say – “Arise from the dead.”

When the inspiration of God does come, it comes with such miraculous power that we are able to arise from the dead and do the impossible thing. The remarkable thing about spiritual initiative is that the life comes after we do the “bucking up.” God does not give us overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome. When the inspiration of God comes, and He says – “Arise from the dead,” we have to get up; God does not lift us up. Our Lord said to the man with the withered hand – “Stretch forth thy hand,” and as soon as the man did so, his hand was healed, but he had to take the initiative. If we will do the overcoming, we shall find we are inspired of God because He gives life immediately.
From my Upmost for His Highest…Oswald Chambers

Remember God has a plan and a purpose for you…but as Proverbs reminds us…It comes with much effort.

Don’t give up and be Blessed!
Stan

One of my goals going into this year was to read through the Bible from beginning to end….As I have been reading about Abraham, Moses and Noah it has been a fresh reminder of how when we step out into faith and obedience…it requires action on our part.

When God spoke to Abraham…he invited him to come to a land he would show him, and if he did, he promised to make him into a great nation.
Abraham had to take action to follow God. He had to leave his extended family and his home to go wherever God directed.

When God spoke to Moses from a burning bush asking him to deliver his people from Egypt…Moses couldn’t stay in the desert and go save his people from slavery in Egypt at the same time. …He needed to take action.

When God spoke to Noah to build the ark in the middle of the desert…it made no sense in the natural…people laughed at him but he obeyed and took action.

Some of the action that is required to take… will be uncomfortable.

The Bible is full of examples…. Some had to leave family and country. Others had to leave behind livelihoods, dreams etc.

Everything had to be yielded to God and their entire life adjusted to Him not visa a versa.

Doing God’s will… will cost you something…. However what we gain will always outweigh whatever we lose.

Be Blessed,
Stan

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and News Years Holiday….

The beginning of the year is always a great time to reflect where you have been and where you want to go.

But what I have found in life to be true is… that no matter how well you plan (and I believe in planning) there will always be those unforeseen trials, storms and times of suffering that we go through.

I was remind of this yesterday… when I found out through another Pastor friend of mind that Matt Chandler who I heard at a conference last year… someone that God used to speak to my heart…. has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor that was not encapsulated.

He is a young 35 year old pastor from Dallas Texas who is doing a tremendous work there in the city…has a young family… a great future ahead of him and bam…all of a sudden it is changed over night…

But I want to share with you a short video message that he recorded a few days before his surgery… they played it for his Church this past week.

Video from Matt.

What a reminder of the perspective we all need to have…. that to be with Christ is greater then anything in this world.

Be Blessed,

Stan

I meet with some young leaders each Tuesday morning for a time of encouragement and leadership training.

We are going through the book ‘Developing the Leader Within’ You by John Maxwell…In the book there is a story that Norman Vincent shares and it goes like this….

“Once walking through the twisted little streets of Kowloon in Hong Kong, I came upon a tattoo studio. In the window were displayed samples of the tattoos available. On the chest or arms you could have tattooed an anchor or flag or mermaid or whatever. But what struck me with force were the three words that could be tattooed on one’s flesh, Born to lose.
“I entered the shop in astonishment and, pointing to those words, asked the Chinese tattoo artist, ‘Does anyone really have that terrible phrase, Born to lose, tattooed on his body?’
“He replied, ‘Yes, sometimes.’
‘But I said, ‘I just can’t believe that anyone in his right mind would do that.’
“The Chinese man simply tapped his forehead and in broken English said, ‘Before tattoo on body, tattoo on mind.’’ (End of Story)

Today you may feel like a loser because of what you have or what you haven’t done…be encouraged through Christ you can be a new person…he can take our failures and use them as building blocks for our future if we let Him.

The Bible says there may be much tears in the evening but there will be joy in the morning….Don’t give up…remember you only become a failure when you give up.

Be Blessed
Stan