1775 map showing the area northwest of Alexandria (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Remind Me Again – Why Am I Doing This?

 We need reminders in our lives; such as alarm clocks, calendars, notices in the mail telling us that it is time to pay up, signs for safety, it is time to eat and our duty to God.

 If we are not reminded then it is easy to let our responsibilities go and allow our lives to be unproductive. 

 Joshua 18:²And there remained among the children of Israel seven tribes, which had not yet received their inheritance. ³And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, How long are ye slack to go to possess the land, which the LORD God of your fathers hath given you? kjv

 God has given us an abundant life, if we learn to live in the spiritual realm. However; because of  free will, we think we have a choice whether to live for God or not and get away with it. It it true that we have a choice – choice reveals the condition of our heart toward God. It does take a willing heart to see some good come from our obedience to God.

 The scripture tells us, if we are willing and obedient then we shall eat off the fat of the land. (Is 1:19) What God says is, if you are willing and obedient to God’s wishes then you will be blessed with the abundance of your surroundings and you will enjoy a purpose-filled life.  

 If we are not reminded of our responsibilities then we can let things go without noticing.

 Just think of your bills. If you do not get the reminder in the mail that it is due then you will over look it and not pay it until it is overwhelming. Many take on the attitude of “it is my life just leave me alone” or “don’t worry I will take care of that” not realizing that we need the reminders.

 God gave us a road map just like He did with Joshua and Israel. He told them to get rid of the things that would influence them and draw them away from God. They procrastinated and Joshua now an old man gathered them and reminded them of their responsibility. It was to have a good environment to raise their families and to be blessed as a people. Sometimes people just let things go like the Israelites did.

 Some people have no sense of time and have to be continually reminded about it. A person like this gets caught up in the moment then the rest of the day has no meaning. That can be especially challenging if you travel with such a person. There are schedules to meet and places to see before the day is out. These are all reminders.

 This week, I received a call from the dentist’s office reminding me that I had an appointment for cleaning. Why would they start such a policy?  

 Peter assures his audience that it is beneficial for him to remind them of the truths of God.

 2 Peter 3:¹ Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. ² I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.

 We tend to procrastinate on the things that can have the most benefit in our lives.

 This is why it is important to have a person that can keep you on track in your life.

 What methods do you have that enable you in your service to God?                                What reminders do you have that keep you pursuing an abundant life?                       Who are the people who encourage you the most and challenge you?

 Hebrews 10: ²³Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) ²⁴And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: ²⁵Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

 Written by Lupe Diaz – Pastor 4/15/12 Grace Chapel Benson – Devotionals

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A strong and healthy body helps with living a better life and accomplish God’s will in our lives. 

It is a loss to the world when people who have a desire to do more in their life for Jesus and their health does not permit them.  

I was moving into that place for a couple of years. I was not motivated and did not want to do any thing. I was gaining weight and was not caring for myself. I would get home and close the door for the evening and that was it for the day. My health and spiritual strength was going down hill fast.

Then one day a thought came to me; you need to enroll at the local gym, Frontier Fitness. What I did not realize is that we had a personal trainer in our church. I don’t remember how the subject was broached. It wasn’t long after I was scheduled to begin my training. That was about seven months ago.

I am much stronger now, but it was not without the challenge of pushing my physical abilities.

The lessons and benefits I have found through training.

1. My mood improved
2. My endurance increased
3. I learned several spiritual lessons while training
4. My head space cleared
5. I can see clearly now; my vision for the work God is clear

One of the lessons I gleaned from training is how we approach church discipleship. Christians want more bible teaching and more information. Teach me, tell me more about the Bible, if I just attend another bible study I will be a better Christian.

In most cases church is reduced to an exchange of information rather than being a training ground for disciples.

Jesus taught the disciples as they traveled together. They watched him heal the sick, cast out demons. They ate with him, they rested with him, they experienced the rejection with him. This was the model Jesus used and tells us to do in Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus taught differently than what we see today.

Personal training demands that you learn the form and positions of the exercises you do. The trainer tells you what to do. When you sign up to personal training you sign up to do what the trainer asks you to do. For some people, that will be a challenge.   

I decided from the beginning of my training that I would DO what I was asked to do.

That is the difference between and exchange of information and training.  What I have noticed is that people go to church to get information; but when it comes to training not many sign up. It takes a person that is can to be told what to do and what to believe, that is part of growing as a Christian.

Here is a challenge for those of you that worry.

Excercise the thoughts of your mind focusing on the good thoughts, rather than going down the same gutter with the negative. Begin to focus on the promises rather than on the things you are afraid will happen. But overcoming worry will take some discipline and exercise.

Hebrews 5:14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Are you ready for training? You can start by going to Fortier Fitness in Benson and sign up with the trainer there. I am grateful for my sessions provided to me by my personal trainer. I am now looking forward to my workouts five to six days a week.

The the commitment to train is well worth it.

Watch your health. Keep your focus on Jesus and it will help you stay strong and focused on the mission he has given you to do.

1. Have you ever wanted to start a training program?
2. Do you make a good student; do you do what is asked of you?
3. Do you see the correlation between physical exercise and spiritual exercise?

Now I can give Green (a friend of mine) 25 when he asks that of me, not that I will but I know I can.

Pastor Lupe Diaz, Grace Chapel - Benson January 25, 2012 

Related articles

• A recent interview I had for an upcoming fitness book. (justin-training.com)

There are many ways we can be involved in prayer at Grace Chapel.

Building a life of prayer in the people of God is just one of the practices of the Christian life and the church. There are several elements that constitute the life of a Christian. One of these is a solid prayer life.

We have talked about how to approach prayer in general at the church. We want to continue to provide an environment of prayer for those who come to us. What does that mean? This means that we spend time praying at every circumstance and situation that is available to us.

An environment of prayer means we pray all the time and every time we are together.

Here are a few examples of the ways we pray as a church.

1. We pray during and after rehearsal on Thursday nights
2. We pray everyday at school assembly
3. We pray when ever someone comes into the office
4. We pray at the home group every Wednesday night
5. We pray on Sunday morning before service begins
6. People pray at home and pray for each other when the need arises
7. We have network of intercessors.

In addition, our prayer team takes prayer requests. Carol or myself is contacted by phone or email. The requests are then passed to the prayer team and prayer is conducted as everyone passes the request.

We have truly created an environment of prayer here at Grace Chapel.

Let us continue to pray and watch.

Eph.6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.  

It is great to be surrounded by so much prayer.

1. Do you see yourself surrounded by and environment of prayer?
2. How does your view ministry change when you see people praying and watching?
3. Have you joined yourself lately with others to pray for various people, ministry, and projects?

By Lupe Diaz – Pastor, Grace Chapel – Benson Copyright 2011

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If you are feeling hopeless today and feel like you can’t take another step, just get through the night. Tomorrow changes everything. From someone who knows.  – r

His mercies are new every morning. (see Lamentations 3:21-23)

Don’t, just wait for the morning Light.

- ld

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“Uh-oh, get the wipes, I smell a dirty diaper!”  This is something you hear in a family with babies and toddlers. This is a common occurrence until the toddler goes into a different stage of growth in the child’s life.  

Like a family the goal of the church is to mature disciples. The goal of parents is to help children mature as adults and to see them  through their different stages of growth. The church also is active in teaching young Christians the beliefs, traditions and values of the historical Christian church and seeing them through the stages of growth. This takes a directive approach from the church. This commitment from the church is a life long  process much like parenting.

Traditionally those that attend church  are there for themselves. They are there  to learn more about the Bible or about God. There needs to be a shift from the traditional reasons we go to church to being a family of God.

We all help each other grow as part of the family of God much like  a family. The people sitting next to us in church may be  babes in Christ, or children in Christ, or young adults  in Christ. When we attend church we might see someone struggling that is because they may be new in the Lord. Those who are mature must be responsible and help them grow.

With baby and young Christians you will hear something that you know is not right. That is because they are infants in the faith and need loving guidance. The mature Christian must be there for the others and guide them into the truth. We must speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:14-15)

¹⁴ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.

Much of this truth interaction happens before, after the service; where we can encourage one an other. This specifically happens during the week in our home groups.

To see the church from the perspective of it being a family will help us see people through the idea of helping each other mature. For example in a family the baby will not and cannot act like an adult. They need help feeding themselves and the diaper needs to be changed several times daily until the baby grows.

In Church we find that there are new Christians that will do things and talk about things that are not right. It is like a dirty diaper. It needs the loving attention of a caring parent or adult, until it is not necessary any longer.

I like the way that hormonal teenagers approach life. “I can do this my self.” ” I don’t need help.” They feel as though they know what it takes to act like an independent person.  They seem to challenge all of the norms in the family, challenge authority and will fail many times.  The parent can’t give up. I remember going through this stage in my Christian maturity.

These teens need to be reminded of why the church family does the thing it does. Along this maturing process they need to have boundaries reenforced. I remember those days clearly. They think they are right in the every way they approach life. It is during this period of time of the life of the teen that it brings a new perspective to the family. They help the family explore new things and not stagnate.

Once a person matures they are able to discern what is best for them and those around them. They have learned to avoid the things that are harmful and dangerous. They have learned to make good judgement calls and now know how to discern between good and evil. They have learned the family traditions, standards and beliefs and stand on their family identity.  It comes by living the life of a Christian and through the watch of the elders, brothers and sisters. 

Hebrews 5:¹² In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! ¹³ Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. ¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

So this is the goal of the church to build an environment where people can grow up in the Lord, learn to represent and defend the family name of Christian (Christ follower). Next time you attend a church look at your own maturity and know that we are all their to grow up in the Lord.

Over the years I’ve grown in a church environment and am still growing. I look forward to the next stage in my ministry and life as a Christian. I pray you are looking forward to the growth and maturity in  your life. The amazing thing is that you don’t see it happen until it does.

- Pastor Lupe

Rural communities usually have a very traditional expectation of the church. When the leaders want to move the church forward it may cross the expectations of the traditional older members. What is amazing is that many of the rural churches live within traveling distance to a urban church. Families are willing to travel to the city and at the same time not want to support a move forward in the rural church, the power of expectations.

Moving away from the traditional Sunday morning, Sunday evening, Wednesday night to an intimate Bible study is out of the question for many traditionalist. Then the blame is placed on the new move rather than on non working traditional services.

The church must move forward in methodology but not change the truth of God. Small groups are not traditional. Wednesday services are not as intimate and people can hide in this setting as they all face the speaker rather than face one another. Home Bible studies are transformational, only because it is a face to face ministry.

Relationships are key to discipleship. This is the reason for the GC neighborhood groups; to connect with and help others in the group. This is a step away from traditional church services.

The home Bible study is the place where many of my colleagues were brought up in the Lord. Many of them are now serving in full time church work. Jesus called us to teach people in the same way He did. (Matthew 28:19-20) His small group was made up of twelve ordinary men who later changed the world as they were change by Christ.

Let us get the rural church moving in the way that Jesus taught His apostles; in a small group setting. We would like to hear about your transforming experience in a small group, Please reply to this article: this will help some make the transition from traditional to transformational.

By Lupe Diaz – Pastor, Grace Chapel Benson

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)

It is good to have a board that works together in unity. I praise God for our group. All six of us work together well. We laugh, learn as we share ideas and observations and pray about what concerns the church.

It is essential for the leaders of the church to work together to to move the church church forward. Some people believe that unity in the church leadership is not good or it seems that way when they say, “Oh (you know the kind of OH I am talking about), pastor surrounds himself with people that will just go along. They just agree with him and place their stamp approval on what ever he wants”.

The scripture tells us that we should strive for the unity of the faith (Ephesians 4:3). Having unity in the board is Biblical. Some people don’t take the time to look at the word unity and believe that it is bad. Here is how it is used in the scripture. Can two walk together, unless they are agreed? (Amos 3:3)

So when someone said to one of our board members, “The board just goes along and pastor surrounds himself with people that will agree with him.” My response was “Well what is wrong with that? The Bible teaches us to walk in unity. That is the one thing that the devil is after, our unity.” Church member please remember this.

I wonder if the people who questions our well working board; are in unity with the rest of the body.

Many make the mistake in thinking that unity is uniformity. Making disciples is not a cookie cutter process where all of the believers look like one another. There is diversity in the body; yet we are unified. Just like our own physical bodies. We have a circulatory system, a respiratory system and and nervous system that all work together in unity, and we are glad they do; yet they have different functions that allow the body to function in a healthy manner.

It is the same with the church board. We are unified and we are all working for the health and welfare of the church. There is much discussion over the issues and policies that concern the church and there must be agreement.

Some of you have served may be serving on a church boards and have had various experiences; please tell us what your experience was like serving on a board and what others have said about it. Thanks for your reply.

Praying for the church at large and its understanding in such matters.

Pastor Lupe

By Lupe Diaz – Pastor, Grace Chapel Benson

When we were kids we found a area of mud that accumulated near our home after the monsoon rains. We started walking along the edges of the mud pit. Then realized that there was a layer of this mud sticking to the bottoms of our shoes. The more we walked on it the thicker and heavier it got. They got so heavy that we decided to run races with all of this mud on our shoes. Just to see who could go the furthest with all that weight on our shoes. We were bogged down and couldn’t walk very well much less run.

What we don’t realize is that the same thing happens with us as we walk through life. We pick up attitudes and we get involved in things we are not supposed to and we get spiritually bogged down.

It is amazing how sins and the things that weigh us down can stick to us and we don’t realize what is happening. We just don’t feel that bad but then again we know something is wrong and we start accepting things as normal.

In Mark 7:21 Jesus tells us what kind of things can really bog us down and make it hard on us.

²¹For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, ²²Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:²³All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. KJV

To be defiled is to be unclean. Much like the mud build up on the feet of us kids. What is needed is a foot, shoe and pant washing. As I was thinking about the mud on the pants I thought about my mothers job in having to clean shoes and pants, once the mud dried and fell off. Now what did Jesus say about those of us that get bogged down.

Jesus was washing the disciples feet; Peter refused to be washed by Jesus. Jesus said that if He did not wash his fee that he would have no part in Him. Peter then told Jesus to wash Him completely. 

John 13:¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean. ¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” NIV

Those who have been to God to be forgiven of their sins are already washed. What Jesus is talking about here is that fact that even though we know God and are living for him we will get our feet soiled. All we have to do is get our feet washed. The reason is that we have been walking in this world and we are picking up some mud, attitudes and ideas that need to be cleaned off of our feet.

That cleaning is done by allowing the word of God and Jesus to examine our hearts and our attitudes that we may have picked up in the places we have walked. Once we realize we need to have our feet washed then you are free from these things and are able to find freedom in living. If we don’t do this we will go around feeling bogged down, sluggish and even stuck in the mud.

It is a great feeling to be washed from all of the stuff we have picked up along the way. If you had an experience like this please tell me.

I would like to hear from you; We can start a list of little things that can stick in our lives and bog us down.

We were talking the morning after a good workout and walking our cool down lap when Brian says “I have found that I am bipolar”. He was thinking about the verses in Romans 7 he read earlier that day.

It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? (Romans 7:21-24 MSG)

It is great to hear the explanation of a familiar verse from someone else. I could identify with him immediately. “Yes that’s right that is exactly what it is.” There is a struggle inside of us that seems to draw us away from God and doing the good that we know He wants us to do. Sin has a strong draw on us and then the battle ensues; at the same time there is a counter force that is there to meet it. It is “…the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus”.

There is a struggle that will fill your heart. You will feel like the inside of you is a battle zone. This is truly a spiritual struggle.

You have to stop and take inventory when this is going on inside of you. Knowing that you are dealing with this battle and that others have the same struggle helps you to stand. You are not alone. Identifying it is part of defeating it, other wise you are in the dark about what is hitting you.

This feeling of being bipolar spiritually is something that we will all deal with for the rest of our lives. There will be some things that we will find victory in, however the draw might still be there. Some days you are walking in the spirit and feel a strong love for God and you know that you have conquered that certain part in your life where you were weak.

Then that changes in a moment and you start having unclean thoughts and down the gutter your mind goes. This can be very discouraging to set you mind on the good things of the Christian life and then to find your self drawn way from it by a force that is in you. When you are a young Christian this can be disheartening.

The good news is that this is not the end of the story. Where you find the strength to continue is in Christ. Let Him be the strongman in your life.

The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different. (Romans 7:25 MSG)

Jesus is the one that has defeated the power of sin in your life you are no longer a slave to sin you are set free. If you are in Christ then you are not held guilty; if you give it over to the Spirit and let him take control of your mind, thoughts and emotions. It is amazing how that transforms your life.

So you lose a battle on occasion, we know who wins this war. It is done.

When you allow His Spirit that is in you to take over then you find the strength to defeat the power of sin that polarized you.