In Matthew 22, Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and others who were trying to trap Jesus in his speech. They asked Jesus if they should pay their government taxes. Jesus asked them to look at the coin and tell Him whose image they saw.  They replied, “Caesar’s.”  So Jesus said, “Then give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.”  This banter has been made famous for many reasons, but there really is a follow up question to this.

Go look in a mirror. Whose image do you see?

The bible teaches us that we were made in the image of Almighty God. Just like a self portrait of a great artist, you are a reflection of God and His likeness.  One bible translation even says in Ephesians 2:10 that we are God’s masterpiece.  Just like any masterpiece, you are one of a kind.  Not a duplicate or a carbon copy, but a single work of art.

This is what makes us special. The creator of the heavens and earth also made you.  It’s not about your name, your job, or your good or bad deeds.  You are special because of whose you are; whose image you are endowed with.  That’s why it’s so important to take care of yourself.  Your Father in Heaven made the person you see in the mirror.  If He wanted you to be someone else, He would have made someone else.  Be proud of who you are.

You can’t make something without putting a piece of yourself into it and that’s just what God has done with you. The bible says that God formed man and “breathed into him the breath of life, and thus man became a living being.”  The very seeds of greatness and the power that created everything also courses through your veins as well, so much so that we have been allowed by God to enter into His creative power in order to bring new life into this world.  New life that, just like you, has been created to know God, love God, and serve God so that we may be happy with Him in Heaven for all of eternity.

Don’t give up on yourself, because when you do, you are giving up on your Creator. God is perfect and although we are definitely not perfect, we are on the road to that perfection that is allowed to us through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Rest assured that the Creator has a plan and that plan includes you.  Not who you think maybe you should be, but YOU!

Next time you are concerned with your inward and outward appearance, know that you were born the child of a king. Be cheerful in the image that you see in the mirror, because when you look at yourself, the eyes of God look back at you.

DH

In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he speaks of the “fruits of the Holy Spirit.” Love, joy, peace, and faithfulness just to name a few. He also makes a contrast of the works of the flesh versus the gifts of the Spirit.

The point the Apostle Paul was trying to make is just like Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew. “By their fruits, you shall know them.” And again Jesus saying in the Gospel of John, “They shall know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Being a Christian is not easy. It goes against the ways of this world. The world tells you to look out for number one. Your flesh screams at you to feed its desires. When you give in to those base desires, it feels good only for a little bit. You soon need more and more to fill that void inside of yourself. You can’t physically do enough to keep your urges in check.

By contrast, Christ teaches you to have compassion for others and to put the greater good over your own self interests. You are to be happy, but not at the expense of the true joy that comes from a life lived in service of others. You will seek less for the lusts and greed of right now, but instead reach for a forever kind of love.

When you accept Jesus into your heart, the Holy Spirit starts blessing you with those fruit that Paul spoke of. It is easier to feel joy in the midst of trials. It’s easier to be faithful to your spouse. It’s easier to feel compassion towards those who are in need of a helping hand.

Indeed, by their fruits, you shall know a true follower of Christ. And the more time you spend with our Savior, the more fruit you will produce. It’s easy for a tree to bring forth fruit when it is planted by the river of living water that is Christ Jesus. Its life is everlasting and its fruit is inexhaustible.

Drink from the river of Christ and watch the fruit of the Holy Spirit grow in your life.

DH

A good friend of mine was telling a story about being on the golf course with some friends. Another group of guys were playing near them.  They had the nicest clothes and brand new sets of very expensive clubs.  His friend says that this group of guys must be really good. “Just look at those clubs,” he said.  Well, those guys tried to tee off and couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn.  Over and over they tried, but ended up playing a horrible round of golf.  My friend said, “It goes to show that shiny new clubs don’t make you a good golfer.”

That’s a hard reality for many people, especially in Christianity. You may come to church dressed in your Sunday best, have a beautiful new Bible, maybe wearing a brilliant gold cross around your neck, but that doesn’t mean you are friends with Jesus or living the Christian life.  Looking the part and acting the part are two different things.  Jesus himself said in Matthew 23:27 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.”

Don’t be ‘that guy.’ The person who has the best of everything, but inside is misled.  Too many people are lost and in pain on the inside.  They think that it only takes them looking the part rather than putting in the time to actually come to know Jesus.  Think again.  A Christian is one who is a Christian on the inside as well as the outside.

You can’t sneak your way into Heaven. A big cross on your neck and a nice fish emblem on your car isn’t going to do it. It’s not works that will save your soul, it’s acceptance of Jesus and His finished work on the cross.  After you accept that, it will open the door to you having that personal relationship with our Heavenly Father that He created you for.

When you absolutely love a sport, you learn all you can about it. You don’t just watch it happen without being involved in some way.  Having a fancy set of clubs doesn’t make you a golfer.  The more time you put in on the course, the better you will be.  Same thing goes for being close to our Savior.  I love the quote that says, “Coming to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. “  You need to do something.  Take that step to believe and accept Christ as your Lord and Savior.  If you’ve done that, then take another step towards Him. And another.  Before long, He will be right by your side, helping you in your everyday life.  You will see advantages given to you, blessings abounding in your years, and prosperity filling your life.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

In Luke 15, Jesus is telling a story about a shepherd that has 100 sheep. One gets lost. The good shepherd, knowing the 99 are safe, goes out and finds the one that ran away. Upon finding the little sheep, the shepherd puts it on his shoulders and brings the sheep home. As if that wasn’t enough, the shepherd is so happy to have the lost sheep back that he calls his family and neighbors and has a party celebrating the return of the sheep.

That’s the kind of Heavenly Father we have. He knows we are sinners.  He asks us to stay with Him, but we always seem to turn to the bad things in this world for comfort instead of Him. The trick is that when we realize we’ve gone too far down a bad path, it seems likes it’s too late. We are virtually buried in our sins.

However, while we have breath, our story isn’t over. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, searches for us. And He doesn’t quit until we’re home. Our God loves us enough to keep going until we release ourselves to Him. By then, we are usually broken and defeated by the wickedness of this world. That doesn’t stop Jesus though. He picks us up, puts us on His shoulders, and marches home. And the Bible teaches that whenever a single sinner repents and accepts Christ, the whole of Heaven sings out with joy and celebration, for the one who was lost has been found.

Joy, peace, forgiveness, and a triumphant return. That’s what He offers us, even though we don’t deserve it.

Love… That’s my God.

DH

In the book of Exodus, the Israelites complained because they were thirsty. God told Moses to take his wooden staff, strike a specific rock, and water would flow from it, thereby quenching the thirst of His people.

You can see Jesus everywhere in the Bible, not just in the new testament. This is one of those many times.

Jesus is our Rock of Salvation. When He was struck with the wood of the cross, the life-giving waters of the Holy Spirit came flowing forth to quench the eternal thirst of God’s people.

We are often in our own deserts. The desert of loneliness, the desert of suffering, or even the desert of sin.  Searching for something to sustain ourselves with, we turn to the wrong places. Only Christ and His Holy Spirit can fill our souls.  Our thirst is insatiable, our souls restless.

Saint Augustine said, “Our souls are restless, oh Lord, until they rest in thee.”  Realize what you have been searching for all of your life. Drink from our Rock and drink as much as you want.

DH

I’d like to dedicate this sermon to the people who make the tough decisions. The decisions that put the needs of the many before the needs of the few out of love.

I know of a couple who recently took on three extra mouths to feed due to some bad family circumstances. They knew their actions were putting them onto a hard road full of more bad times than good, especially starting off, but they also knew that it was the right thing to do for those children. They could have said no and not gotten involved, but that isn’t God’s way. They’re sowing seeds that they personally may never see bloom, but they still persevere.

Let me tell you of another person who made a tough decision. Her name is Mary. She was a young Jewish girl. One day, the angel Gabriel appeared to her and said she would have a child and His name would be Jesus. Mary, like all Jews, knew the scriptures. She knew that Christ would go through great suffering and pain, but she also knew that it was for the greater good of all mankind. Even though she didn’t understand the whole thing, she still said, “Yes.” She wasn’t just saying yes to the circumstances and to taking on a child, she was in fact saying yes to God and His greater plan.

God gives the biggest share of the cross to his best friends. Sometimes tough decisions need to be made and God knows who He can count on. You could say no and probably have an easier time during this life, but somebody out there needs your strength and your sacrifice. They need you to be the one who fights for them to give them a better life.

You may not see the seeds of love that you sow blossom, but know that God is already planning the increase.

To all of those people who make the tough decisions, know that Jesus will be waiting for you at the gates of Heaven, saying, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” But the best thing will be when you too get to see those you’ve helped walking into Heaven when it’s their time to come home. And that homecoming will be one of the greatest rewards imaginable.

God bless you.

DH

In Luke 21, Jesus saw the wealthy donating some of their surplus money, then he marveled at a poor widow who gave just two coins. Those two coins weren’t much, but they represented her entire livelihood. Jesus was proud of that poor widow because she gave Him all she had out of love.

The fact is that God is God. He created everything and needs for nothing, but He completes His heavenly works through us. We are to serve Him with all we are, not just what we have materially.

Take a tip from the saints. Most of us can’t do big things for God, so do small things, but with great love. Those small things can include everything you do when you offer them up to God. The Apostle Paul said in the book of Romans to offer yourselves as a living sacrifice, then again in First Corinthians to do everything for God’s glory.

Being an attentive and caring mom is one of the most noble tasks in His kingdom. Offer it up. Working hard day in and day out for your family is also a great task. Offer it up. Even giving someone a compliment or a kind word is a blessing that will reap great rewards. Those things may seem small or average to you, but they resonate in the minds and hearts of those you do them for.

One good thing to remember is that your blessings will be magnified if you do them when it’s not convenient or when you don’t really feel like doing them. Jesus didn’t feel like going to the cross, but He did it for the good of everyone. He offered Himself as a sacrifice. Consider your good deeds as a living sacrifice. And like the Nike commercial says, “Just do it.”

Offer your heart up to God when you do anything for the good of others. God sees your secret intentions and will reward you openly.

DH

The Apostle Paul wrote much of the New Testament of the Bible. Many of those were letters to churches that he wrote while in prison, locked away because he was a Christian.

We may struggle with our current situations, thinking that God must not care that we are having such troubles. The reality is that nothing that happens, good or bad, escapes God’s sight. And the Bible teaches that God will work all things for the good of those who love Him.

Prison for Paul wasn’t then ideal situation, but needed for what God wanted to accomplish in the bigger, more God-sized view of it all. Paul had no idea of the people he would reach for Jesus, even 2000 years later. All he knew was that the Holy Spirit was working in and through him. Had Paul not had time in prison, he may not have had the ability to sit calmly and truly listen to God’s words.

So next time you think that God has abandoned you in your troubles, think again. You have no idea of the blessings that God is setting up for you this very minute. Praise Him in the best of times and the worst of times, for He is making the path for you to Heaven right now.

DH

The Bible teaches that when we accept Jesus, He comes into your heart and takes up residence. The Holy Spirit dwells within you and gives you a special connection with God the Father in order to know and do His will. Without Christ, we have an empty space in our souls.

That’s where we get into trouble with sin. We attempt to fill that empty space with all of the worldly things that look good, taste good, or give us a momentary thrill. The problem is that you can’t sin enough to fill that space. It’s fun for a while, but it let’s you down worse and worse every time.

To put it in the words of my daughter, “God is ginormous.”  And a hole that’s fit for God can’t be filled by anything you can see, touch, or taste. Only Christ in all of His glory can be a proper fit for such a spot.

So accept and receive Jesus into your heart today. He is the missing piece to the puzzle that is your life.

DH