We do our best to be good employees and then the company down-sizes or right-sizes or whatever the newest terminology is for laying off people. We observe traffic laws only to be hit by someone who runs a red light. We decide to not borrow money and to save money. Then, interest rates go to an all-time low foiling our “best” plan for our financial future.

You get the picture. Life is full of surprises. As Christians, we should be on the offensive and not be practicing a “bunker” mentality. We should look for the challenges that life will bring. Then, approach them in faith. We will have trials, temptations and troubles. The question is: “Will we view the events of life as evidence that we do not have faith or will we go forward in faith and become ‘more than conquerors through Him (Christ) who loved us’?”

This life requires faith. Faith has some “friends” without which faith is lonely and powerless. In Hebrews 11, three of these friends are discovered: Obedience, Righteous Submission and Sacrifice. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith: “…being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” The people who lived before Christ came to live among us, believed that He would come to earth and fulfill prophecy. They had only God’s Word through the prophets, and, they had faith. They believed. They are written about in the verses of Hebrew 11:4-38, the passage of scripture that we sometimes called “The Faith Hall of Fame”. What did all of these “Hall of Famers” have in common?

When God called, they said, “Yes.” Some were more reluctant than others but they all accepted God’s call. They would leave behind much, if not all, that was safe and secure.

In retrospect, we see them as “successful”. When they first heard the “call”, they probably were not excited to go to the new place to which God was calling them. Abraham left everyone that was familiar to him. Without GPS, cell phone or Mapquest, Abraham traveled to a land that he had never seen. Sunday morning, June 1, 2008, at Westland, I asked people to tell of their journey to “places unknown”. One man told of a twenty-year journey with his family waiting for healing in the life of his daughter. He told of God’s faithfulness to be present with him and his family during these many years of life. He told of God providing financially for medical care.

Another man told of how God healed him of cancer. A woman shared her story of being declared “cancer free” after a terrifying struggle with cancer.

A young couple told of accepting God’s invitation to trust Him and to indicate their trust in Him by tithing. Upon receiving a large bonus, they wondered if they should tithe on the whole amount or apply this amount to debt and then begin to tithe. They immediately wrote the check for 10% of this bonus to avoid any further temptation to keep back what belonged to God. Within a week of giving this tithe, the young man was notified that he would receive another bonus and a “raise” that, over time, would equal more than 100 times the gift that he had given to God. Another man told of three specific times that God had tested him or allowed him to be severely tested through the sickness of his son and his wife and through the “loss” of his one year old son who, in a split moment of time, had followed the family dog out of the back yard. In an instance, the child was lost. The church was called and people from the church came and assisted in finding this little child who must have “sprinted” away from his house only to be found by a school teacher on an errand from her school at lunch time.

God told Abraham that he would receive land, wealth and so many descendants that they could not be counted. Abraham’s journey was longer than he would like for it to have been. When he finally received the son that God had promised, God required that Abraham give his son, Isaac, back to God in the most unusual act of obedience and sacrifice ever required by God. When Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice to God, God provided another way for Abraham to fulfill his act of obedience. Then, through Isaac, God fulfilled His promise to give Abraham so many sons and daughters that they could not be counted.

Righteous submission includes waiting on God. Waiting is a virtue that is not cultivated in our day. But to see God accomplish His work in our lives, we will follow his time line that invariably is different from ours. We want God to answer our prayer on our time line and to answer our prayer the way that we want. When He does neither, we feel that something is wrong-Maybe, we do not have enough faith or something is hindering our prayer from being answered. Often, however, God is doing a greater work than we could have ever imagined.

Biblical faith is saying “yes” to God before you know the full impact of the question. Faith is waiting on Him. Faith is sacrificing all that we are to all that He is. Faith is living in victory before we feel it or even experience it. Faith is a confidence that God is at work in this world and that God is at work in your life. Sometimes this confidence will have to exist in spite of evidence of the contrary. Because, our hope is in Him!

What is your next faith journey? Is it a journey to forgiveness? God will give you the power to forgive even when you do not feel like forgiving. Is it a journey to share your faith? You do not have to wait until you “feel” a burden for someone. You and I have already been authorized and commissioned to tell the people around us about salvation through Jesus Christ. Is it a journey into giving? God invites and commands us to give to Him and to others. Then, He will give back to us and provide all that we need.

Is your faith lonely and powerless? Give your faith the friends of obedience, righteousness and sacrifice. Get out of the “bunker”! Go on the offensive! Jesus said that the very gates of Hell will fall when you approach them in biblical, overcoming, victorious faith. Endure the tests. Taste the victory that is yours in Jesus.

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year.  However, Christmas is often celebrated without remembering the “reason for the season”.  Gift giving and receiving, being with family and friends, and the many sumptuous meals are reasons for enjoying the month of December.  Also, musical and dramatic presentations at theatres, schools and churches make this time of the year special.

Our challenge and opportunity is to remember that Christmas is really about Christ.  The Bible tells us that everything was made by Christ and through Him everything stays intact (Colossians 1:16-17).  As we grow in our faith, we are drawn to become more Christ-centric.  This in no way should cause us to lower the value of the many joyous experiences and relationships of life here on Earth.  If anything, the Christ-centered life is the life with the most joy and appreciation for the little and big events that come our way.  The apostle Paul also tells that we should enjoy all of the blessings-spiritual and material- that God has given to us (1 Timothy 6:17b).  While we are enjoying the material blessings that we have, we are to be generous in giving to others (1 Timothy 6:18).  This brings me back to Christmas.

“I’ll be Home for Christmas” is a refrain that stirs our hearts.  We look forward to visiting with family and friends that we seldom see throughout the year.  When we finally end all of the shopping and all of the gifts have been opened, we take time to enjoy the company of those that we are miss all year long.  I am looking forward to being with my wife, Sharon, our children, Jeremiah, Linse, Bethany, and James and our twin granddaughters, Amorie and MacKenzie.

Jesus prayed that all of his followers would be living in unity.  Jesus came to earth so that we could be reunited with the Father through the forgiveness of our sin.  He also came so that we could be Reconciled to one another.  This is a good time to renew relationships where relationships have been broken.  Start the New Year right with God and with others.  Make the phone call; write the letter or email to pursue reconciliation.  Ask for forgiveness where you have offended others and forgive those who have offended you.

Incarnation – the Word (Jesus) became flesh.  He who made us came to live among us.  The Baby was born.  The Man lived on earth and faced everything that you and I face.  Jesus endured the most severe temptation but He never gave in.  Because He lived a life without sin, He was the only appropriate replacement for you and me.  He took our place on the cross.  He took our sin upon Himself.  He paid the price that we could never have paid ourselves.

 Christmas is all about Sharing.  I know that I said that “Christmas is all about Christ”.  But you cannot talk about Jesus without talking about giving.  The Christmas story is the story of God giving His Son.  The tradition of giving gifts to one another began with the Gift that God gave to us, His Son.  The most expensive gift ever given is the gift of everlasting life that we receive when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  This gift, eternal life, is free to whoever will invite Christ into their life.  The most costly gift that you could ever have cannot be purchased with gold, silver or MasterCard.  This gift was purchased by Christ’s blood being spilled on Calvary.  The crucifixion did not surprise our Savior.  He willingly gave His life as the sacrifice (payment) for our sin.

Christmas usually means a break from the normal work and school schedules providing Time off from the ordinary to celebrate the extraordinary-the supernatural.  Plan extra times of worship.  Attend the regularly scheduled worship services of your church.  Also, enjoy a Christmas Eve service.  Focus on the real “reason for the season”.

God’s Motive for sending Jesus was love.  Let love guide your every action.  Remember, that real love involves action.  The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal live.”  Love is more than a feeling.  It can result in a feeling.  But real love is you giving yourself away.  Give your resources. Use your time, money and abilities for others.  Give to those who will never be able to give anything back to you.

An Attitude of thankfulness best expresses the Christmas spirit.  Instead of wishing for what you do not have, give thanks to God and others for what you already have and for the gifts that you receive this season.

Jesus Christ, the Savior, lived among us.  He died for us.  He rose from the grave to save us.  And He promised to come again for us.  This is the message that makes us merry this Christmas.  Christmas, it’s all about Jesus.

 (Article as published in the Houston Christian Magazine)

Pastor Roy Meadows is the Senior Pastor at Westland Baptist Church,

the church to call home. For more information about Roy or the church please visit their website at www.westland.cc

On the cross, Jesus did it all.  This wonderful Creator died for His creation.  This sinless Savior took all of the sin of mankind-past, present and future-upon Himself.  Jesus, who healed so many, died for us.  The Man of Mercy was shown no mercy.  The Man, who owed nothing, paid our debt.  On the cross, God made a loud announcement.  Romans 5 verse 8 tells us that God demonstrated His love to us.  Even while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  He died in our place.  Jesus did everything necessary for us to have Heaven as our eternal home.

When Jesus cried, “It is finished.” (John 19:30).  He was referring to the work that the Father had sent Him to do.  Jesus, though tempted in every way that we are tempted, never yielded to temptation.  He became the perfect and final sacrifice that all of the sacrifices in the Old Testament pointed to.  Colossians 2:13-15 tells of the multiple victories secured for us on the cross: 

“13 When you were dead in your sins and in the lostness of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus secure an eternal home in heaven for all believers in Him.  Because of His great love for you and me, God has made it very difficult for anyone to go to hell.  In Hebrews 10 verse 29 we see the power of what Jesus did.  We read,

“How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?” (NIV)   For a person to go to hell, he or she must look at Jesus on the cross and say:  “I don’t care.”, “That means nothing to me.”, “My issues are more important than deciding to become a follower of the Christ.”, or “Maybe I will consider the love of God at a later time.”

To successfully get to hell a person must ridicule the Blood of Jesus that was spilt on “Good Friday” 2000 years ago.  A person must say, “How can Someone’s (Jesus’) blood spilled 2000 years ago wash away my sin?”, “The idea of Jesus’ death being required to pay for my sin is too morbid.” or “There many ways to heaven, I will choose another   way.”  To get to hell, a person must ignore the many times that the Holy Spirit has spoken to them.  To get to hell a person must turn away from the many methods that the Holy Spirit has employed to draw that person to Christ:  a friend’s invitation to attend church, a coworker or fellow student telling them of God’s love, preaching and teaching on television and radio.  A person must say “No” over and over again to get to hell.

THE RESURRECTION

To get to Heaven, you must say “Yes”.  Say “Yes” to God who invites you to know Him personally through His Son, Jesus.  Say “Yes” to the One Who gave His life for you.  When facing the scriptural evidence of your need for salvation, agree with God (confess) that you need Him.  The power to transform you to this new person does not come from within you.  This power comes from God Himself.  The same power that raised Jesus from the dead will make you brand new.  This same power gives us the victory over temptation.  This power gives power to achieve great things in the Name of Jesus.  He said that you and I will do greater works that He Himself did when we believe and access His power (John 14:12).  

Today is the day to say “Yes” to the Risen Lord and begin to live and to live in fullness and victory!

 (Article as published in the Houston Christian Magazine)

Roy Meadows is the Senior Pastor of Westland Baptist Church.  Westland is located at 1407 W. Grand Parkway South Katy, Texas 77494.  To know more about Pastor Roy and the ministries of Westland Church, view the website www.westland.cc or call 281.392.5099.

Life is all about fellowship and relationship-our relationship and fellowship with God and with people.  Fellowship and relationship are all about attitude.  Our attitude and behavior toward one another are vitally important.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:7-12, Paul tells us that we should treat each other like a mother treats her children.  He says that he was gentle and we should be gentle with each other.  Some Christians seem to think that they get a “pass” on gentleness.  They say that they just see things either as right or wrong.  Paul or Jesus could have excused themselves for having a caring attitude as much as the next guy.  Each had the personal righteousness and credentials to be consumed with their tasks and missions.  Yet, we see these two altering their schedules and putting aside their immediate wishes to spend time with and resources on others.  Jesus never wavered on the holiness issue.  Paul never was slack in his personal responsibilities.  But these two, leading by example, showed gentleness in relating and fellowshipping with others.  The way that people who are outside of Christianity will be able to spot a Christian is by the love we have for one another (John 13:35).  Not by our declarations or buildings, but by our love for one another.  Romans 15:7 says that one way that love is demonstrated is by us accepting one another just as Christ accepted us.  He accepted us while we were not yet the “finished product”.   

(Article as published in Houston Christian Magazine)

Pastor Roy Meadows is the Senior Pastor at Westland Baptist Church,

the church to call home. For more information about Roy or the church please visit their website at www.westland.cc

JOY, FAITH AND POWER

Christmas began in the heart of God before the World was ever formed. Jesus is called “the lamb that was slain before the earth came into being.”

1 Peter 1:18-21 says,

“18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.” NIV

The Joy, Faith and Power that we, as Christians, have cannot be separated from the Christmas experience. We celebrate the coming of a “baby”, the “lamb of God”. And, though, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day did not recognize Him, many other people did recognize Him as the Promised Savior. Even, secular kings (the “Wise Men”) knew that there was more than “just a baby” lying in that manger that special night.

This Child would forever change the World. As a child, Jesus amazed His teachers with His knowledge of God’s Word. He would change, for eternity, everyone who followed Him. Jesus changed a boisterous fisherman into a humble servant-leader who one day would lay down his life for the sake of the cause. By spending time with a politically connected, cheating and corrupt tax collector, Jesus converted Zacchaeus into a repentant, benevolent citizen of Jericho. When others wanted to kill a woman who had sinned, Jesus forgave her and gently taught her accusers that everyone has sinned and is in need of the Savior. Two self-centered brothers, provoked by an ambitious mother who promoted them and always looked out for their future, turned into servant-leaders who presented the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ. When two sisters were disappointed in Jesus for not acting according to their plan, He raised their brother from the dead and changed the lives of all who heard of this miracle. He turned their deep sorrow into unspeakable joy.

We have this joy today through Christ. We rejoice that He came to the World to testify to the Truth and to forgive sin and to unite us with the Father. Our joy is complete when we realize that He is coming again.

Prayer is the plan for communication between the Father and us. This Child has become our High Priest. He provides the entrance into the very presence of God. Our Joy is full because we can talk to the Father. We can confess our sin and be made clean. We can worship our Father who is in Heaven. We can thank God for what He has done. And we can ask God for what we need. All of this is possible because of the “baby in a manger”. Is there any question why we rejoice at Christmas Time?

Thankfulness flows from our hearts when we think of all that Jesus means to us. Especially, when we begin to realize what we mean to Him. He loves us so much that He gave His life to demonstrate God’s love for you and me. That is real love.

In John 15:13 Jesus said,

13” Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” NIV

There was something about Jesus that drew people to him. Rich people, poor people, men, women, children, the upright, the uptight, the serious seekers, the hypocrites, the “righteous” and the “sinners”; Jesus had a good Word for all of them. Jesus did good everywhere He went. All in God’s good time, Christmas brought Him here. He brought “good tidings of great Joy”. His presence meant that something good was about to happen. His presence in our lives today brings Joy and the awareness that God is going to move in a powerful way in our lives.

In Rom 15:13 says,

13” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” NIV

Jesus gave people then and gives people now the power to turn from evil and to follow Him into joy, power and hope. He changes us from “victims” to “victors”.

Jesus was faithful to the Father’s plan and call on His life. His faithfulness, from the manger to the cross, secured for us power over temptation. Though we will be tempted, He showed that victory over temptation is possible.

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

12 “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” NIV

Our Champion gives us victory over temptation and shows us how to get away from it.

He gives us the power of discipline. We see in His life the very hard road that He traveled in serving the Father. Even when He was rejected and scorned by men, he prayed and told people of the Father’s plan for them. When others may have given up, he pushed on.

Jesus, the Christmas Child, the Savior, the Lord overcame fear with love. Love for God and love for others empower us to overcome obstacles, hate, and even fear itself. What a wonderful gift!

In Christmas, we see how far God goes to bring us back to Him. Knowing that we could not get to Him, He came to us: The Baby, The Son, The Savior, The Lord, The King Who will return one day.

(Article as published in the Houston Christian Magazine)

Pastor Roy Meadows is the Senior Pastor at Westland Baptist Church,

the church to call home. For more information about Roy or the church please visit their website at www.westland.cc

While the sources and levels of emotional tension may vary, the resolution to worry is to not only know the source of worry but to know the solution. The normal response to anxiety is to try to change the circumstance that is the source of unease. In a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to his student Timothy, Paul said that the answer to fear is love.

At first glance, this seems like such an odd conclusion. Paul had found the secret to being secure in troubling times and circumstances: Trust in God’s love for us. Paul had faced everything that a person could face. All that he had achieved in life had been taken from him. For Paul, social position in life, possessions and life’s pleasures were things of the past. He had traded all of these to follow Christ. So, he was passing to Timothy the secret to true happiness. When we know that God is for us, and we are living our life to fulfill God’s call on our life, then, whatever we face seems so much smaller. Paul reminded Timothy that God plans for us to walk in power, love and clarity of mind. The answer to worry is taking everything to God in prayer. He is able to do something about the problem. He is the answer to the problem. He gives peace even if the problem persists. This is different from our normally preferred solution. We pray for the problem to go away and it may. However, God’s love and peace will take over our lives even if the challenge is still in front of us or part of our history. This is a powerful kind of peace.

God invites you to enter into a new level of existence where your focus is not on events in your life but rather on His plan for you. As Paul reminded Timothy that his calling in Christ supersedes all else, I encourage you to rise above the momentary challenges of today by committing your life to bringing glory to God and to bringing people to Christ.

Living in Christ’s peace,

Pastor Roy

 (Article as published in the Houston Christian Magazine)

Pastor Roy Meadows is the Senior Pastor at Westland Baptist Church,

the church to call home. For more information about Roy or the church please visit their website at www.westland.cc

Love is obvious. “When a man loves a woman
Can’t keep his mind on nothing else
He’d trade the world for the good thing he’s found”, Percy Sledge. Percy said it best. Real love knows no limits. The word picture that God gives men to understand what love looks like is found in the fifth chapter of Ephesians. A man is to love his wife just as Christ loved the church. He held back nothing. He gave His life to provide what the church needed. A man who loves his wife will put her before all others. The two will partner to live their life to the fullest. Our love for God will be obvious also. Jesus said that whether or not we love Him will be clear to us and others. In the gospel of John, Jesus said that we will obey Him if we love Him. This removes all of the guessing or wondering. Our actions make clear to us how much we love Jesus.

Love is vital, necessary, central, and essential. Love gives life. First John 4:8 tells the first great truth that many of us learn about God: “God is Love.” God shows His love for us by giving. He gives eternal life, joy, fulfillment, peace. He gives forgiveness. So often, when we talk about love relationships we talk about what we get from them. God demonstrates for us that real love means that we give. You can give without loving but you cannot love without giving. Indeed, love is an attribute. But, the only way that we know that we have love is when we act on behalf someone else. We provide for our children because we love them not because they can benefit us in any material way. This is a commitment-based love. This is not a transactional agreement. We love them, so, we bless them.

Love is eternal. 1 Corinthians chapter 13 has become a favorite Bible passage to be read at weddings. This is very fitting. God’s desire and plan is that marriages endure. The last verse in this chapter says that love will last forever. When everything else has faded away, faith, hope and love will remain. You and I can do something that will last forever. We can love. We can love our spouse, our children and our neighbor as ourselves. What you and I do for others in love will have an impact in eternity.

 (Article as published in the Houston Christian Magazine)

Pastor Roy Meadows is the Senior Pastor at Westland Baptist Church,

the church to call home. For more information about Roy or the church please visit their website at www.westland.cc