Change?
Pastor Jim Kilby • April 2, 2022
"I the Lord do not change." Malachi 3:6a
I was chatting with a man about my age today when he told me he and his wife of 25 years recently decided to divorce. Just yesterday, they sat their children down and gave them the sad news. When I asked if there was any hope for reconciliation, he kind of surprised me with his statement. “Not a chance!” he said. “We just weren’t meant to be married to each other.” He went on to describe how each partner had spent years and years trying to change one another, but the only things that seemed to change were their love and devotion to one another. They were giving up. It was over. No matter how wonderful the early years had been, no matter how incredible the wedding was, or the births of their children, they were quitting.
As I pondered this troubling conversation for most of the day, I was saddened. It seems to me we’re in an age where most vows really mean nothing. “Until death do we part” really just means “I’ll stay with you until you begin to annoy me or until I find something better.” And it’s not just marriages. We also get new “stuff” as soon as it comes out, although the stuff we already has is more than serviceable. And our faith in God, it too can often wain in the presence of just about any diversion.
Now, I’ll be honest, I don’t much like change. Unless it’s for the better, which rarely seems to be the case. But in these areas, I think we DO need a change. We need to change back to who we were just a mere twenty or so years ago. Our waining faith toward God, and our dedication to marriage, family and children, are almost exactly where they were when the Lord sent the prophet Malachi to admonish His people. Sure, it keeps a ministry to troubled youth busy, but it’s not good! I’ve put just part of one verse above, but the whole book could use a good read through in my opinion.
Blessings in Christ,
Pastor Jim Kilby
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Compassion is one of the first things the Holy Spirit will bring into your life when you truly give your life to Christ. The desire to forgive, and even the super-human ability to actually do it will also come your way. Unfortunately, the opposite character traits seem evident in far too many of the lives of those who claim to know Jesus. The reality is that being controlled by our fleshly and worldly emotions is easier for us because we feel like we're more in control. When God truly takes over, you'll be more inclined to be like Jesus or Stephen (the first Christian killed for his faith), actually praying for the ones who were in the process of killing them. In another example, instead of holding on to hate for believers who abandoned him, the Apostle Paul had a similar prayer for those who wronged him. Have you found this attitude becoming more prevalent in your heart? "At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them." 2 Timothy 4:16 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
The purpose of a cheerleader is to motivate the crowd, so that together they can motivate the team. But what happens when the cheerleader becomes more interested in promoting the cheerleading squad than helping the team? Or what happens when a teacher forgets that teaching was something they once loved to do and morphs into someone who likes to look and sound important. What happens when a Christian forgets their first love and begins promoting "self" over Jesus? The answer is that the Body of Christ (or the team, or the students) is placed behind the personal motives of the very ones who were called to serve in the first place. Whether it's parents putting their wants in front of their children's needs, or pastors pursuing their own desires over the needs of God's children, Satan's work is fulfilled whenever we take our eyes off of our Lord and place them on our own desires. "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
"He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, WHO BETRAYED HIM." Matthew 10:1-4 (Emphasis mine) I don't know about you, but I don't want "Who betrayed Him" ever written behind my name. Makes you think about the way you serve, doesn't it? Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
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I notice that when my children were young, and many of the young people I minster to, both have a similar mode in the way they pray. They often either stick to tried and true prayers or wrote sentences (like, "thank you for this day"), or they rip off a list of the material "stuff" they're thankful for. While I don't believe either is necessarily a problem for a young Christian, surely the wisdom of a few years will teach them that muttering the same ole sentences without giving them much though or only being thankful only for material things is not true prayer. Real prayer is just that--REAL! God can handle our honest prayers, and He deserves that we give some serious thought to what we're thankful for. Like our health, our families, His grace, our pastors and teachers, etc... Can you imagine what would happen if you tried that type of communication with other loved one's in your life? They'd know immediately that you were just giving them your absolute minimum. So, may I pray that today your prayers will be even more meaningful to Him, and also to you! "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words." Matthew 6:7 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
I once found myself between two teenage boys who were dead set on beating each other to a pulp. After they were separated sufficiently , I had a chance to talk with them each about what had happened. One of them had said something to the other one that he thought was disrespectful. The response was a quickly escalating verbal battle that was only seconds from becoming physical. Noticing that the young man who felt he was disrespected still seemed set on getting revenge on the other young man, I sat and talked with him for quite a while. His words mirrored those I've heard from so many before. His pride was wounded and he intended to make the other person pay in order to get his "respect" back. When I pointed out that beating this other boy senseless would have likely gotten him a jail sentence and a law suit, he exclaimed "If that's what it takes, so be it! I need to keep my pride!" Actually, as Christians the last thing we need is our "pride"... it's humility we desperately need. "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." Proverbs 16:18 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
For thousands of years men have been searching for a fountain of youth. Ponce de Leon even searched what later became the state of Florida for the elusive fountain. Today, we look for fountains of youth in newfangled drugs, or steroids, or herbs, or workout regimes, or diets, or... I'm sure you get my point. The truth is that since God removed Adam and Eve's access to the Tree of Life, man has aged rapidly. We're aging from the moment we're conceived, and all of us will face an earthy death unless the Lord returns to stop it. There IS one fountain of youth left however, and anyone who's ever seen a chronologically old person who truly loves the Lord will know where it is found. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, '"The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him." Psalm 92:12-15 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
One of the most prevalent and unbiblical beliefs today is that only "bad" people will be condemned by God. The truth is that everyone who is not absolutely pure, perfect through and through, stand condemned before God--without even an excuse to offer. Perfection is the requirement to enter heaven, and since none except Christ Jesus ever lived a perfect and sinless life, it is Jesus we must look to as our atoning sacrifice. Since we could not be perfect, and since God loved us anyway, He sent His Son to die in our place. Whether someone is "bad" or "good" is not the question. The question is whether or not you are covered by the perfect blood of Jesus Christ. If you are (if you've accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior) then the Holy Spirit will bring forth good from your life. If not, even the good you do will be worthless on the day you face your Creator. Even Old Testament examples like this one make this utterly clear. "He also stationed doorkeepers at the gates of the Lord's temple so that no one who was in any way unclean might enter." 2 Chronicles 23:19 Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
One of the most frequent questions I get from teens is based on their heartfelt desire to lead a loved one to Christ. They'll ask me, "How can I convince them?" as if it were them who was doing the convincing. The Scriptures are quite clear that we are to be busy sharing the Gospel, praying for others, and even doing our best to witness with both our words and our best arguments for the Truth. What it doesn't say is that we are responsible for the seed being planted, for watering it, or even for the harvest. That is the Lord's work. In fact, Jesus was even more blunt when he sent out the disciples on a missionary journey. "If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town." Jesus of Nazareth (Matthew 10:14) Pastor Jim Kilby Your donation spreads good news! www.harvestyouth.org/donate
