by Pastor Jim Rovaggi
Do you consider yourself a good friend? Are you true blue? You know, the expression "True Blue" came from a little town in England whose reputation was known all over England, for making a beautiful cloth that retained its unfading blue color far longer than any other fabric. Hence the term "true blue" was used to describe a friend that stays dependable, unwavering, and unfading. You know anyone like that? Do you have friends that you sort of fall out of contact with for a while but when you re-connect you start right where you left off? Sometimes we refer to them as “kindred spirits” if I can get a little cheesy for moment. I am personally blessed with several friends who I would describe this way. In time of need I know I can depend on them and vice versa. It's a wonderful feeling to develop relationships that are like "money in the bank". God applauds genuine friendship, and Christian fellowship. It is a key aspect of the Christian life. Believers in Christ are to come together in love, faith, and encouragement. That is the essence of koinonia as described in Acts 2:42.
On this beautiful Friday morning, I believe God wants to expand our understanding of friendship. It’s wonderful to have trustworthy friends, to nurture intimate relationships, but we as believers, are called to do more. You see it's easy to befriend people with whom you have a common bond. You worship together. You eat together on occasion. You've watched the "big game" together and so on, but the truth is we have been commanded to befriend the widow, the orphan, the poor, the sick, imprisoned and yes, even that total stranger that approaches you for directions when you’re in a huge hurry. We’re called to be ambassadors of God’s love and kindness! James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
It has been noted in the past, that I‘m not Mr. Sensitive. As important as kindness, and gentleness is, it does not come natural to me. In fact, in my youth I was known to toss the occasional cat high into the air while shouting “SUPERMAN”! I thought the cat was enjoying our little game as much as I was. (Never mind its futile attempts to scamper away in terror every time it landed.) I was also not slow to wound those around me with my words and actions. No, kind and friendly were NOT adjectives that would have been used to describe me. Even now as I work in ministry, I have to constantly remind myself to allow the Holy Spirit to extend my friendship, and kindness, and service, past the four walls of the church. After all, the fruits of the Spirit that describe what we’re discussing here: Love, Peace, Longsuffering, Kindness, Gentleness etc. weren’t meant to be reserved only for those people we’re comfortable with!
Some time ago I began to ask the Lord to provide opportunities for me to be able minister and evangelize people I didn’t know. In God’s infinite sense of humor, He responded. Ever since that prayer, I have had an endless stream of strangers approach my wife and I for various reasons. The most recent instance was a couple that crashed my son’s birthday party looking for directions. …to Canada. Yes Canada. It was our pleasure to aid them in getting back on the road (how they ended up in our driveway, I’ll never know.) but not before the elderly gentleman asked to use our bathroom. My first inclination was to rattle off a series of excuses: “not a rest stop…sorry…plumbings on the fritz…gas station on the corner” but at that moment, I felt a little tug on my heart to be kind. Of course in my natural trusting way …I followed him. This elderly gentleman must have sensed all the fruit rolling around in my spirit, and thus felt comfortable enough to use our bathroom without even closing the door. Um, thank you Lord for this blessing.
A few short days later, yet another gentleman paid me visit. He had run out of fuel and rolled off the parkway on fumes, and could I help him out? Once again, I was tempted to direct him to the nearest gas station when the Holy Spirit put me in check. I noted that I could see the car from my front door, so I went out to the garage, grabbed my recently purchased gas container with a few remaining ounces of gas from last summer and decided to trust him with it since I couldn’t leave my child by himself. I did a good thing. I felt satisfied and content. I felt blessed. I did. I felt less blessed when he drove by me waving with my gas can in his car. As he turned the corner off in the distance I began to discuss what had just happened to my gas can with the Lord. I was trying to be kind. I was ministering to a stranger! What’s up!? Where is the justice? Did I mention God has a sense of humor? Several minutes later, this stranger pulled in front of my house. I nonchalantly meandered out onto the lawn, working very hard not to appear surprised. Not only did he return my gas can…he returned it full. Not only did he return the container full, he brought me doughnuts! Munchkins, from Dunkin Doughnuts to be exact. Let me tell you. I believe these munchkins were sent from on high.
Family of God, you may do a kindness for someone in need, you may be a friend to a stranger and you may see no visible return. Let me assure you, the world will ridicule you for acting the part of the Good Samaritan, but your kind actions and words do not go unnoticed by the One who matters most. Even if I had never seen my gas can again…the knowledge that I had the privilege of showing a kindness to a stranger would have been more than adequate.
I wonder how many times I’ve overlooked situations or individuals that needed my help, or my kindness, and in so doing deprived myself of blessing. I leave you with this verse to ponder.
Hebrews 13:1-2 1Keep on loving each other as brothers. 2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.
Today, I pray that you would have a chance be kind to those you know, and those you don’t!
God Bless You! ...And may He make us blessable!
Pastor Jimmy E. Rovaggi
Associate Pastor
West Hudson Christian Center
557 Kearny Avenue Kearny, NJ 07032
p 201-997-7762
c-973-600-8544
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
rich young and miserable
by Pastor Jim Rovaggi
Mark 10:17-22 The Rich Young Man
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Can't you just sense Jesus' frustration? Can you just imagine what Jesus was feeling when he said in verse 19 "...come on pal, you know what to do." And then the response... "Jesus, I did all that." Verse 21 makes you feel the pity and compassion Jesus must have felt...."Jesus looked at him and loved him." I can just see Jesus saying "Son, I know you did all that. I know you you're well churched and you know all this stuff.... but you're missing the point." I wonder today how many of us are in the same boat. We've done the church thing for what seems an eternity ... we sing in the choir, we tithe ten percent of our income, we baked for the bake sale, we humored that sister that everyone else seems to avoid. In a nut shell we have "kept all the commandments" but I believe Jesus is still saying ... "You have not given me your all. You have not sacrificed those things that are more important to you than me. Therefore you can't truly follow me." I don't know what sacrifices you need to make today in order to be able to truly follow Jesus. Maybe it's wealth. Maybe it's "personal time". It may be that you’ll work your fingers to the bone to keep up with the Jones’ but that leaves precious little time and energy left to serve the church or serve brothers and sisters who need you. Maybe it's a relationship that we need to sacrifice. Maybe it's your will that you need to relinquish because it simply doesn't match God's. You get the idea fill in the blanks. The scripture says that young man went away sad because he wasn't willing to sacrifice his wealth. Well guess what yall! It still works that way! If I'm not willing to sacrifice what God is asking me to sacrifice, I can never be truly happy in Him. Many Christians today have "gone away sad". They find themselves in a "spiritual holding pattern". And many of us have a dilemna. We don't even know what to sacrifice! Well, I'll tell you exactly how to find out what God wants you to sacrifice. Are you ready? Because this is deep. Lord, what do want to me to sacrifice? That’s the question! This is so prophetic you better sit down. Are you sitting? How about now? OK. Here it is again. The secret to finding out exactly what God would have us sacrifice is: (it would add to the effect if at this point you would kindly play a little drum roll in your head.) Ask Him!
Deep huh? Some of you are thinking, “Ask Him what?” Read the last section again. Now just in case you actually just blurted out, "OK Lord, what do want me to sacrifice?" You now have to listen for the answer. What's the best way to listen? “Is he going to talk about reading my bible AGAIN!?" Yup. I most certainly am.
I leave you with a homework assignment. I’d like us to practice sacrifice. Not only do we need to ask God what does he want us to sacrifice ... but I'm going to ask us to sacrifice a few minutes EVERY single day to read the word and pray. Now before you think to yourself, "How elementary! How insulting! The sad truth, I assure you, is that most people reading this e-votional are not reading the word EVERY day. If you are that rare and disciplined bird that does read the word and pray EACH day, than step it up a notch! Challenge yourself to read and pray a little more! I want to encourage you today. Sometimes we feel like all the people around us can barely stand the sight of us. Encouraged yet? Here is what I want you to remember. When Jesus looks at you, He feels nothing but warm fuzzies. He doesn't care if you goofed. He's not looking to chastise you at every turn. Don't misunderstand, our sin does indeed offend and hurt Him and in an unrepentant state it will separate us from Him, but our sincere consistent repentance makes it all better. What He desires, is that we permanently trade in all the idols we have built for ourselves, so we can truly follow Him. Do you realize, He doesn't even care if you didn't shower today! He loves you anyway! Will you spend some time with Him? Promise? ...good.
God Bless You! ...And may He make us blessable!
Pastor Jimmy E. Rovaggi
Associate Pastor
West Hudson Christian Center
557 Kearny Avenue Kearny, NJ 07032
p 201-997-7762
c-973-600-8544
Mark 10:17-22 The Rich Young Man
17As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18"Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.20"Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Can't you just sense Jesus' frustration? Can you just imagine what Jesus was feeling when he said in verse 19 "...come on pal, you know what to do." And then the response... "Jesus, I did all that." Verse 21 makes you feel the pity and compassion Jesus must have felt...."Jesus looked at him and loved him." I can just see Jesus saying "Son, I know you did all that. I know you you're well churched and you know all this stuff.... but you're missing the point." I wonder today how many of us are in the same boat. We've done the church thing for what seems an eternity ... we sing in the choir, we tithe ten percent of our income, we baked for the bake sale, we humored that sister that everyone else seems to avoid. In a nut shell we have "kept all the commandments" but I believe Jesus is still saying ... "You have not given me your all. You have not sacrificed those things that are more important to you than me. Therefore you can't truly follow me." I don't know what sacrifices you need to make today in order to be able to truly follow Jesus. Maybe it's wealth. Maybe it's "personal time". It may be that you’ll work your fingers to the bone to keep up with the Jones’ but that leaves precious little time and energy left to serve the church or serve brothers and sisters who need you. Maybe it's a relationship that we need to sacrifice. Maybe it's your will that you need to relinquish because it simply doesn't match God's. You get the idea fill in the blanks. The scripture says that young man went away sad because he wasn't willing to sacrifice his wealth. Well guess what yall! It still works that way! If I'm not willing to sacrifice what God is asking me to sacrifice, I can never be truly happy in Him. Many Christians today have "gone away sad". They find themselves in a "spiritual holding pattern". And many of us have a dilemna. We don't even know what to sacrifice! Well, I'll tell you exactly how to find out what God wants you to sacrifice. Are you ready? Because this is deep. Lord, what do want to me to sacrifice? That’s the question! This is so prophetic you better sit down. Are you sitting? How about now? OK. Here it is again. The secret to finding out exactly what God would have us sacrifice is: (it would add to the effect if at this point you would kindly play a little drum roll in your head.) Ask Him!
Deep huh? Some of you are thinking, “Ask Him what?” Read the last section again. Now just in case you actually just blurted out, "OK Lord, what do want me to sacrifice?" You now have to listen for the answer. What's the best way to listen? “Is he going to talk about reading my bible AGAIN!?" Yup. I most certainly am.
I leave you with a homework assignment. I’d like us to practice sacrifice. Not only do we need to ask God what does he want us to sacrifice ... but I'm going to ask us to sacrifice a few minutes EVERY single day to read the word and pray. Now before you think to yourself, "How elementary! How insulting! The sad truth, I assure you, is that most people reading this e-votional are not reading the word EVERY day. If you are that rare and disciplined bird that does read the word and pray EACH day, than step it up a notch! Challenge yourself to read and pray a little more! I want to encourage you today. Sometimes we feel like all the people around us can barely stand the sight of us. Encouraged yet? Here is what I want you to remember. When Jesus looks at you, He feels nothing but warm fuzzies. He doesn't care if you goofed. He's not looking to chastise you at every turn. Don't misunderstand, our sin does indeed offend and hurt Him and in an unrepentant state it will separate us from Him, but our sincere consistent repentance makes it all better. What He desires, is that we permanently trade in all the idols we have built for ourselves, so we can truly follow Him. Do you realize, He doesn't even care if you didn't shower today! He loves you anyway! Will you spend some time with Him? Promise? ...good.
God Bless You! ...And may He make us blessable!
Pastor Jimmy E. Rovaggi
Associate Pastor
West Hudson Christian Center
557 Kearny Avenue Kearny, NJ 07032
p 201-997-7762
c-973-600-8544
Thursday, March 19, 2009
"fight" plan
by Pastor Jim Rovaggi
So the other day we celebrated our little boy’s second birthday. It was loads of fun. We spent weeks preparing a party, for a handful of two and three year olds, that invaded our home, devoured the beautiful train cake my wife painstakingly decorated, and then scattered for their homes in a sugar rush frenzy that would have done the Tasmanian Devil proud. I observed a very notable personality trait developing in my precious little boy that day. He was either, hugging his little playmates accompanied by cooing noises, or he was striking them about the head and neck with the nearest stuffed animal shouting “no!” to a question that had not been asked. I had to ask myself, “What meaneth this?” I finally realized that his violent side came out each time one of the little ruffians would get too close to any of his prized possessions. Now on the one hand, it is time to teach my son what it means to share, on the other hand, it’s a good lesson to remind myself and the people of God that it is a valuable effort indeed, to fight for what is valuable. That sounds fairly easy. It makes sense. The tricky part my friends, is to define what we consider to be valuable. What is worth fighting for?
Let’s do a little math together. There are 168 hours in a week. It stands to reason that the bulk of our time, energy, and resources go towards those things that we must do. Our jobs clearly require the bulk of our time and energy and that’s understandable. As much as I would love to sit around all day singing worship songs, and fellowshipping … the fact is, we blew that whole Garden of Eden thing way back when. So it’s not an un-biblical principle that we have to spend fifty, sixty hours and more, per week, providing for our family. Let’s use an average of 50. Lest you think I’m being unspiritual just remember, we have only ourselves, and our great great great grandpa Adam to thank. Genesis 3:19 "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground…” The next largest chunk of our time is most likely spent sleeping. Even if you only get six to six and a half hours of sleep a night that still adds up to 45 hours. Are you doing the math with me? We’re now down to about 73 hours. Let’s lop off 3 hours a week just for travel. Driving to work, driving to pick up the kids from baseball practice, driving to the grocery store etc. Honestly, some of us probably spend more than three hours in the car simply driving to and fro.
We’ve got 70 hours left in which to fit family time, eating meals, maintaining a house, running errands, going to church, hobbies, helping cousin Ethel paint the living room, driving down to Who-knows-wheresville for Aunt Sandi’s 99th birthday, taking little Edgar to that birthday party, “that sister invited me to that silly Pampered Chef thing again, I keep turning her down, I guess I have to go this time”, and we have to plan Sheila’s graduation party if she graduates Lord willing, …. and so on and so forth. All of a sudden, 70 hours doesn’t quite seem to cut it does it?
The truth is, we have allowed our schedule to take over. If we could give a face and arms and legs to our schedule, I believe it would be gigantic and monstrous and it would need a dentist to clean it’s fangs, it would make Goliath look like little-bo-peep. It needs a name, ...…let’s call him Ned.
It is the tactic of the enemy to tire us out ...to beat us down ...to overwhelm us with the day to day duties that seem to require more hours than exist in a day! I’m sick of Ned! And here is the beauty of Ned’s (aka the Devil) plan. We think it’s normal! We’ve decided it’s, “the times”, and we shake our heads and chuckle and say, “Oh there’s not enough hours in a day!”, and without lifting a finger we laid down and forgot a simple lesson from a two year old child …that we are to fight for the things we know are valuable.
It is time to be encouraged. To grow, to strengthen, to prepare...and to be challenged. Together, we need to take a long hard look at the things that consume our schedules and decide what do we let go? What do we rearrange, and what is it we need to battle to reclaim? In short, what’s the Fight Plan? Every good warrior needs a plan of attack!
For starters, what are we battling for? Our relationship with the Lord….our very thoughts… our marriages ...our kids. We need our time back! I may not be able to go into work and say, “Hey boss, I’m leaving at 2pm today, I need some down time. But I can certainly teach my little one that, “no, today you can’t go to yet another scheduled activity at the school because we are going to church! Take that Ned! Now school activities aren’t bad on their own. In fact they’re great in reasonable doses. But how will our little girls and boys learn Christian priorities if we don’t teach them?
You know it takes me an hour to empty the dishwasher when our little Julian "helps" me, and about 15 minutes if I do it alone, but to see the joy on his face, and to know the lesson he's learning is worth far more to me than those 45 minutes I could use elsewhere. I will fight for those extra minutes to put away each spoon individually as he hands it to me with pure satisfaction on his little face. In that same way I will fight to claim those minutes during the day that I will commit to serving the Lord through prayer and study and worship.
Will you take a moment to read Psalm 78:5-12? The tribe of Ephraim was one of the tribes of God’s chosen nation. What a sad testament to that community. Scripture tells us, from verses 9-11 “… The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; 10 they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by his law. 11 They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.”
How tragic! On the day of battle they grew afraid, or tired, or anxious, or overworked, or burned out, (sound familiar?) and at the final hour they turned tail and went home! Just like the people of Ephraim we are armed today! We have a choice; to lay down and allow ourselves to be overwhlemed or to stand and fight! Each one of us has weapons to use unique to us. Every believer is armed with the ability to enter into warfare! Just don’t turn back!
Ephraim was Jacob’s son…How could his tribe forget all God had done for them!? They should have known better!
Hosea 5:9,11 “Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of reckoning. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain. ... Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols “
Well church family, that’s certainly not the legacy I intend to leave do you? I leave you with the words of Paul to the Corinthians.
1st Cor. 9: 23-27 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 24Do 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. 25Everyone 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. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Prepare to Fight! God Bless You! ...And may He make us bless-able!
Pastor Jimmy E. Rovaggi
Associate Pastor
West Hudson Christian Center
557 Kearny Avenue
Kearny, NJ 07032
p 201-997-7762
c-973-600-8544
So the other day we celebrated our little boy’s second birthday. It was loads of fun. We spent weeks preparing a party, for a handful of two and three year olds, that invaded our home, devoured the beautiful train cake my wife painstakingly decorated, and then scattered for their homes in a sugar rush frenzy that would have done the Tasmanian Devil proud. I observed a very notable personality trait developing in my precious little boy that day. He was either, hugging his little playmates accompanied by cooing noises, or he was striking them about the head and neck with the nearest stuffed animal shouting “no!” to a question that had not been asked. I had to ask myself, “What meaneth this?” I finally realized that his violent side came out each time one of the little ruffians would get too close to any of his prized possessions. Now on the one hand, it is time to teach my son what it means to share, on the other hand, it’s a good lesson to remind myself and the people of God that it is a valuable effort indeed, to fight for what is valuable. That sounds fairly easy. It makes sense. The tricky part my friends, is to define what we consider to be valuable. What is worth fighting for?
Let’s do a little math together. There are 168 hours in a week. It stands to reason that the bulk of our time, energy, and resources go towards those things that we must do. Our jobs clearly require the bulk of our time and energy and that’s understandable. As much as I would love to sit around all day singing worship songs, and fellowshipping … the fact is, we blew that whole Garden of Eden thing way back when. So it’s not an un-biblical principle that we have to spend fifty, sixty hours and more, per week, providing for our family. Let’s use an average of 50. Lest you think I’m being unspiritual just remember, we have only ourselves, and our great great great grandpa Adam to thank. Genesis 3:19 "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground…” The next largest chunk of our time is most likely spent sleeping. Even if you only get six to six and a half hours of sleep a night that still adds up to 45 hours. Are you doing the math with me? We’re now down to about 73 hours. Let’s lop off 3 hours a week just for travel. Driving to work, driving to pick up the kids from baseball practice, driving to the grocery store etc. Honestly, some of us probably spend more than three hours in the car simply driving to and fro.
We’ve got 70 hours left in which to fit family time, eating meals, maintaining a house, running errands, going to church, hobbies, helping cousin Ethel paint the living room, driving down to Who-knows-wheresville for Aunt Sandi’s 99th birthday, taking little Edgar to that birthday party, “that sister invited me to that silly Pampered Chef thing again, I keep turning her down, I guess I have to go this time”, and we have to plan Sheila’s graduation party if she graduates Lord willing, …. and so on and so forth. All of a sudden, 70 hours doesn’t quite seem to cut it does it?
The truth is, we have allowed our schedule to take over. If we could give a face and arms and legs to our schedule, I believe it would be gigantic and monstrous and it would need a dentist to clean it’s fangs, it would make Goliath look like little-bo-peep. It needs a name, ...…let’s call him Ned.
It is the tactic of the enemy to tire us out ...to beat us down ...to overwhelm us with the day to day duties that seem to require more hours than exist in a day! I’m sick of Ned! And here is the beauty of Ned’s (aka the Devil) plan. We think it’s normal! We’ve decided it’s, “the times”, and we shake our heads and chuckle and say, “Oh there’s not enough hours in a day!”, and without lifting a finger we laid down and forgot a simple lesson from a two year old child …that we are to fight for the things we know are valuable.
It is time to be encouraged. To grow, to strengthen, to prepare...and to be challenged. Together, we need to take a long hard look at the things that consume our schedules and decide what do we let go? What do we rearrange, and what is it we need to battle to reclaim? In short, what’s the Fight Plan? Every good warrior needs a plan of attack!
For starters, what are we battling for? Our relationship with the Lord….our very thoughts… our marriages ...our kids. We need our time back! I may not be able to go into work and say, “Hey boss, I’m leaving at 2pm today, I need some down time. But I can certainly teach my little one that, “no, today you can’t go to yet another scheduled activity at the school because we are going to church! Take that Ned! Now school activities aren’t bad on their own. In fact they’re great in reasonable doses. But how will our little girls and boys learn Christian priorities if we don’t teach them?
You know it takes me an hour to empty the dishwasher when our little Julian "helps" me, and about 15 minutes if I do it alone, but to see the joy on his face, and to know the lesson he's learning is worth far more to me than those 45 minutes I could use elsewhere. I will fight for those extra minutes to put away each spoon individually as he hands it to me with pure satisfaction on his little face. In that same way I will fight to claim those minutes during the day that I will commit to serving the Lord through prayer and study and worship.
Will you take a moment to read Psalm 78:5-12? The tribe of Ephraim was one of the tribes of God’s chosen nation. What a sad testament to that community. Scripture tells us, from verses 9-11 “… The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows, turned back on the day of battle; 10 they did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by his law. 11 They forgot what He had done, the wonders He had shown them.”
How tragic! On the day of battle they grew afraid, or tired, or anxious, or overworked, or burned out, (sound familiar?) and at the final hour they turned tail and went home! Just like the people of Ephraim we are armed today! We have a choice; to lay down and allow ourselves to be overwhlemed or to stand and fight! Each one of us has weapons to use unique to us. Every believer is armed with the ability to enter into warfare! Just don’t turn back!
Ephraim was Jacob’s son…How could his tribe forget all God had done for them!? They should have known better!
Hosea 5:9,11 “Ephraim will be laid waste on the day of reckoning. Among the tribes of Israel I proclaim what is certain. ... Ephraim is oppressed, trampled in judgment, intent on pursuing idols “
Well church family, that’s certainly not the legacy I intend to leave do you? I leave you with the words of Paul to the Corinthians.
1st Cor. 9: 23-27 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 24Do 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. 25Everyone 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. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Prepare to Fight! God Bless You! ...And may He make us bless-able!
Pastor Jimmy E. Rovaggi
Associate Pastor
West Hudson Christian Center
557 Kearny Avenue
Kearny, NJ 07032
p 201-997-7762
c-973-600-8544
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
beautiful day to succeed
by Pastor Jim Rovaggi
Just a quick note on this BEAUTIFUL DAY!
I don't want these devotional thoughts to become routine but I was asked by several people to bring them back...so here it is. That means you have to read it! : 0 )
By now I'm sure most of us are at work for several hours, dealing with our little ones...at our offices...in our classrooms...perhaps it's time to get the laundry together...or return that call to our boss from Friday when he left that message. Maybe you got home from a long night's work not long ago and you're just now getting to sleep! Either way, I'm sure Monday hit us in the face like a pie full of cold grease. Sorry for the visual...
What ever the case may be, I have a few very important questions to ask you and they're tough ones. Ready?
Do you remember the principle of the sower? You reap what you sow. You get out of something what you put in to it. The things you invest in, will flourish. There is a little story that goes like this. (and there are several different versions)
In each person reside two dogs. One dog is an evil nasty critter. He's bitter, spiteful, jealous, arrogant, can't take correction, he's un-teachable, easily offended, and he'll bite anyone that gets near. The other dog is good, faithful, sweet, loving, patient, kind etc. Which one grows big and strong? Which one takes control? Well for sure the one that eats Italian food ...but besides that, the answer is, the one you feed. So you get it? Simply put, the principle of the sower: You will get out of yourself what you put into yourself. OK, Next question.
Did you make time for God first thing this morning? Are you a night owl? Maybe your quiet time with God (reading the Word - praying - worshipping) was late last night? (and no church doesn't count.) If you didn't make time for God, here is the last question. Why should He make time for you? Does that sound harsh? Read on.
Psalm 37:4 ...Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Church, please take this to heart.... Yesterday morning during the worship service here at W.H.C.C., I felt a strong urging of the Holy Spirit to encourage the church family to turn off everything from their TV, to their cell phone, and everything in between so we could spend some time with the Lord. Maybe 30 minutes, maybe an hour, if possible. You see the people of God in this day and age have become so comfortable with instant gratification that we have decided our relationship with Jesus works the same way. We go to church Sunday morning. If we're really sanctified we'll go again Wednesday. In between we'll look up some quick devotional thought on the Internet, where some one spoon feeds us something completely UN-original and PRESTO...we expect God to pour out showers of blessing. Well on-line devotionals are fine but it doesn't work that way. Yes, God is a God of grace and blessing and He does want to give you more than you can imagine but HE WILL NOT CONTRADICT HIMSELF!
So once again here is the formula "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart"If we're honest with ourselves we have to admit we make time for what matters. Period. When I delight myself in ANY thing other than Jesus, (even seemingly good things) then the formula quiet simply doesn't work.
You can walk in victory! You can have peace and joy.... You can be a power house for God ... You can trust that God WILL provide the desires of your heart. You do not have to suffer the garbage that surrounds you and sit around wallowing in fear, and anxiety, and self-pity, and failure! How? By spending time with God ... knowing Him...by allowing the Holy Spirit to saturate you so full of joy and life and power that you can't help but shout Praise the Lord! In fact, here is a little test for you. Are you at your desk? Are you surrounded by people...or maybe just a co-worker or two? I want you to say something to praise the Lord right now out loud! Whatever you like. Go ahead I'm waiting. Say it: Thank You Jesus...Praise the Lord... Come ON you chicken! SAY IT! Whispering doesn't count! (But don't yell in such a way that causes someone to call Human Resources because W.H.C.C. will not take responsibility!) Folks we just have to get to know Jesus again! Maybe you're asking. Where do I start. I'm so glad you asked! God spoke to our hearts in a recent message from Ephesians!
Eph 6:10-17 (NIV) "...Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Will you make time for God today? Look, I know there is a lot of good material on-line, and we've got devotional books galore, but the problem with that is, those things don't teach us to get in the word and read it, and then sit back and say "Lord, tailor this to me. What do you want me to get out of this?" All the wisest words from the best writers, speakers, and famous pastors, that can all be found in seconds on line, can not take the place of what Jesus wants to speak into your heart.
Make time today. Call your wife, call your husband, make arrangements, set a plan in place so that you can spend time with the Lord. It'll be the best investment you ever make.
God Bless You! ...And may He make us blessable!
Pastor Jimmy E. Rovaggi
Associate Pastor
West Hudson Christian Center
557 Kearny Avenue Kearny, NJ 07032
p 201-997-7762
c-973-600-8544
Just a quick note on this BEAUTIFUL DAY!
I don't want these devotional thoughts to become routine but I was asked by several people to bring them back...so here it is. That means you have to read it! : 0 )
By now I'm sure most of us are at work for several hours, dealing with our little ones...at our offices...in our classrooms...perhaps it's time to get the laundry together...or return that call to our boss from Friday when he left that message. Maybe you got home from a long night's work not long ago and you're just now getting to sleep! Either way, I'm sure Monday hit us in the face like a pie full of cold grease. Sorry for the visual...
What ever the case may be, I have a few very important questions to ask you and they're tough ones. Ready?
Do you remember the principle of the sower? You reap what you sow. You get out of something what you put in to it. The things you invest in, will flourish. There is a little story that goes like this. (and there are several different versions)
In each person reside two dogs. One dog is an evil nasty critter. He's bitter, spiteful, jealous, arrogant, can't take correction, he's un-teachable, easily offended, and he'll bite anyone that gets near. The other dog is good, faithful, sweet, loving, patient, kind etc. Which one grows big and strong? Which one takes control? Well for sure the one that eats Italian food ...but besides that, the answer is, the one you feed. So you get it? Simply put, the principle of the sower: You will get out of yourself what you put into yourself. OK, Next question.
Did you make time for God first thing this morning? Are you a night owl? Maybe your quiet time with God (reading the Word - praying - worshipping) was late last night? (and no church doesn't count.) If you didn't make time for God, here is the last question. Why should He make time for you? Does that sound harsh? Read on.
Psalm 37:4 ...Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
Church, please take this to heart.... Yesterday morning during the worship service here at W.H.C.C., I felt a strong urging of the Holy Spirit to encourage the church family to turn off everything from their TV, to their cell phone, and everything in between so we could spend some time with the Lord. Maybe 30 minutes, maybe an hour, if possible. You see the people of God in this day and age have become so comfortable with instant gratification that we have decided our relationship with Jesus works the same way. We go to church Sunday morning. If we're really sanctified we'll go again Wednesday. In between we'll look up some quick devotional thought on the Internet, where some one spoon feeds us something completely UN-original and PRESTO...we expect God to pour out showers of blessing. Well on-line devotionals are fine but it doesn't work that way. Yes, God is a God of grace and blessing and He does want to give you more than you can imagine but HE WILL NOT CONTRADICT HIMSELF!
So once again here is the formula "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart"If we're honest with ourselves we have to admit we make time for what matters. Period. When I delight myself in ANY thing other than Jesus, (even seemingly good things) then the formula quiet simply doesn't work.
You can walk in victory! You can have peace and joy.... You can be a power house for God ... You can trust that God WILL provide the desires of your heart. You do not have to suffer the garbage that surrounds you and sit around wallowing in fear, and anxiety, and self-pity, and failure! How? By spending time with God ... knowing Him...by allowing the Holy Spirit to saturate you so full of joy and life and power that you can't help but shout Praise the Lord! In fact, here is a little test for you. Are you at your desk? Are you surrounded by people...or maybe just a co-worker or two? I want you to say something to praise the Lord right now out loud! Whatever you like. Go ahead I'm waiting. Say it: Thank You Jesus...Praise the Lord... Come ON you chicken! SAY IT! Whispering doesn't count! (But don't yell in such a way that causes someone to call Human Resources because W.H.C.C. will not take responsibility!) Folks we just have to get to know Jesus again! Maybe you're asking. Where do I start. I'm so glad you asked! God spoke to our hearts in a recent message from Ephesians!
Eph 6:10-17 (NIV) "...Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
Will you make time for God today? Look, I know there is a lot of good material on-line, and we've got devotional books galore, but the problem with that is, those things don't teach us to get in the word and read it, and then sit back and say "Lord, tailor this to me. What do you want me to get out of this?" All the wisest words from the best writers, speakers, and famous pastors, that can all be found in seconds on line, can not take the place of what Jesus wants to speak into your heart.
Make time today. Call your wife, call your husband, make arrangements, set a plan in place so that you can spend time with the Lord. It'll be the best investment you ever make.
God Bless You! ...And may He make us blessable!
Pastor Jimmy E. Rovaggi
Associate Pastor
West Hudson Christian Center
557 Kearny Avenue Kearny, NJ 07032
p 201-997-7762
c-973-600-8544
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