Open Door Ministries Blog

Sunday 08.01.10

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Little is much when God is in it!

The words to an old song come to mind when I consider the words of Jesus in Mark 8:13-21.

Jesus is teaching the disciples a life lesson by comparing the left-overs of two miracle feedings, the feeding of the five and four thousand respectively.

In the first he asks, " how many baskets did you pick up?" "Twelve," they answered. In the latter He asks the same question and they answered, "seven."

In the feeding of the five thousand they started with five loafs of bread. In the feeding of the four thousand they started with seven. The more they started with the less they had left over.

In our way of thinking we are more comfortable when we have more but such isn't the case in the Kingdom. Jesus is teaching them that with Him, they "have" more than enough.

In times of uncertainty it is good to know that the Lord Jesus doesn't need a whole lot to end up with a great supply of left-overs. Which reminds me of another saying of Jesus. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. -Matt 6:34

God gives grace for today. Tomorrow will have grace abundantly given. But it will only come tomorrow. So, living in the "now" positions us for tomorrow.

Practice all the wisdom and discernment you have today but fret not over tomorrow. With little or much our trust is in Him.

With Him we will have all we need and some left over to help others around us. Click here to comment.

Pastor Greg

Changed lives, growing into His likeness...

Just last week we had a planning session with our staff. We had a great time with a great group of people. What a joy to work with such a dedicated and creative staff. We laughed, ate, enjoyed ourselves and ate some more. In spite of it all we got an amazing amount of work done.

I am amazed at the scope to which our ministry has grown. I remember the days of such small beginnings and all the restarts we have been through. It is humbling to see the people God has brought together called Open Door.

From the homeless shelter to the million dollar houses, from the high school drops out to the highly educated, from the aged saint to the novice just beginning their spiritual journey we have come from different races, different religious affiliations, and different nationalities. God’s family is diverse and beautiful.

Jacob’s coat of many colors, that many learned about from their mother's lap, is a picture of the many faces of God’s family. Each one unique, and deeply loved makes up the mosaic called the church.

Learning to cherish each other is to learn to appreciate the creativity of our Father. None of us have exclusive right to Him or His love. None of us have the inside track to His acceptance. He bids us all to come to Him.

As we move to the end of this year of growth and change let me encourage you to look around and celebrate the wonder of the family God is build all around us. We are watching a miracle. One I’ve looked for for a long, long time.

Changed lives, growing into His likeness; what a beautiful picture! Click here to comment.

Pastor Greg

Convictions, Contradictions, Preferences, & Character

Convictions, contradictions, preferences, character: these represent the fabric that expresses our moral condition.

Contradictions occur when our Character and Convictions don’t match.

Preferences are like "rather or rather not."  But convictions are non-optional. They represent our core values.
A man without them is controlled by the direction of the wind.
Proverbs states a man who has no control over his thoughts is like a city with no walls.

If our inhibitions, those internal boundaries that help limit our actions, line up with the Word of God then we have a great resource to help us follow the right course.

If our focus influences or even controls our thoughts & our thoughts influence and control our actions, then it stands to reason that our convictions should kick in early in the game.

This is why we must decide what we are going to give our eyes and thoughts to. While there is much to see, much of it we don't need to see.

What do you think? Click here to comment.

Pastor Greg

Words to Live By...

2 Samuel 22:31 (NKJV)
31 As for God, His way is perfect;
The word of the LORD is proven;
He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

I was interested in an article in Sunday’s Parade section of the Daily Reflector. It was one of those titles that was meant to grab your attention and it worked on me. "10 Ways to Get Rich, Warren Buffett’s Secrets That Can Work For You," the headline read. Not many will argue with Mr. Buffett’s success in building his assets. I was interested in the common sense each of his secrets represented.

It got me thinking. If the article truly represents ‘the word’ Mr. Buffett lives by, they represent self imposed boundaries that guide and limit his personal choices.

I have had the privilege of reading similar secrets of men who have impacted their culture in significant ways. The interesting thing is they all had established a regiment, if you will, of action and some method of governing their actions. I wonder how many of us have even thought of developing our own secrets of successful living.

What words do you live by?
What restraint do you practice to keep you on a path to accomplish your goals?
Do you have any goals?
What type of goals are they?
Do you want to be rich, famous, well thought of?
Maybe you want to be known for your service and benefit to your generation.

Perhaps it's time we looked at the words we live by and determine:

1. if we are truly following them
2. if they are working
3. if they need changing
4. if they are taking us where we want to go

Remember your words are like the rudder of a great ship on the sea; they send your life in a direction on the sea of life. Make sure they are sending you where you want to go.

Your thoughts? Click here to comment.

Pastor Greg

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is....

Matt. 6.21 (NKJV) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Luke 12.34 (NKJV) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

These two verses from the Gospels are thought provoking to say the least. While saying the same thing they emphasize the nature of investment: interest and value. To say we love something or someone and not give to it or them is simply not true. We are simply lying to ourselves and to the one we are speaking of.

Consider the man who says he loves his wife and kids yet he rarely invests in them. He spends his discretionary income and time on himself. He spends on his toys, his boat, his clubs, his guns, his car, etc. while ignoring the desires or needs of his wife and children. No matter what he says with his mouth, his heart is saying something else for where the heart is so is his investment.

Time and money are the two principle ways we communicate value. If we say we love God and don’t invest time in relating and seeking Him then are we really very interested. If we say we love Him and don’t give to Him then do we really care about what He cares about?

The truth is if we aren’t investing in the spouse and kids, and if we aren’t investing in the Kingdom of God then where are we investing and what has our interest. We all are investing ‘somewhere’. That ‘somewhere’ is where our hearts are. Is it in our work, responsibilities, reputations, hobbies and interest? Is it in pursuing recognition, esteem and success? You see, your heart is where you invest.

One of the best ways to develop genuine interest in someone or something is to commit time and money (our treasure) to them/it. Doing so begins to develop an interest in them/it because we have invested a piece of us. Our hearts follow our investment.

What are you investing in? Is it temporal or eternal? What do you need to do for your investments to reflect your heart felt values. Do your values need adjusting? Is it time to repent and do something different?

I know these are sobering questions. But lets not deceive our selves. It is time we, the follower of Christ, put our time and money where our mouth is.

What do you think? Click here to comment.

Pastor Greg