Mount of Olives Church

John D. Rockefeller Sr. was strong and husky when he was a youth. Early on, he was determined to earn money and drove himself to the limit. At age 33, he earned his first million dollars. At age 43, he controlled the biggest company in the world. At age 53, he was the richest man on earth and the world’s only billionaire. Then he developed a sickness called alopecia, where the hair of his head dropped off, his eyelashes and eyebrows disappeared, and he was shrunken like a mummy. His weekly income was one million dollars, but he digested only milk and crackers. He was so hated in Pennsylvania he had to have bodyguards day and night. He could not sleep, stopped smiling and enjoyed nothing in life. The doctors predicted he would not live another year. The newspaper had gleefully written his obituary in advance—for convenience in sudden use. Those sleepless nights set him thinking. He realized, with a new light, that he "could not take one dime into the next world." Money was not...

I have read that lobsters have to leave their shells from time to time in order to grow and develop. They need the shell for protection, however in order to grow, the old shell must be abandoned. Since the shell is hard and not elastic, this is essential for the development of the lobster. As important as this is, the most difficult part is the period between discarding the old shell and the development of the new shell. During this time, the lobster is highly vulnerable. There are predators in the water that would love nothing more than to have a lobster dinner, even without melted butter. In addition, as the current moves them about, they are susceptible to being injured by rocks and coral which could harm them without a shell. In many respects, we have something in common with the lobsters losing their shells. In order for us to grow and develop, we too must shed our shells. Some of our shells are things like materialism and prestige, which often lead to pride and arrogance. Another...

In his second letter to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul discusses with the church the salvation we have in Jesus Christ. He encourages them to not “accept the grace of God in vain” (2 Corinthians 6:1). In other words, while grace is freely given to us, God paid a dear price, and therefore it should be received with thankfulness. Then, he goes on and quotes Isaiah 49:8 and uses it to enhance his message to them.  2 Corinthians 6:2 ESV For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” This still applies to us today. God really does hear you. God really does provide for salvation no matter your burden or bondage. And He doesn’t put it off, but makes it available today. Therefore, we should not postpone a relationship with Him off to another time. Today is the day of salvation. Allow Jesus Christ to come into your heart today so He can begin to do a new wo...

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” ― Winston Churchill Having been in leadership roles most of my life, I have seen over and over again the people who will only focus on what is wrong and how difficult the problems will be to solve. As a result, they never get very far in life. As the great Winston Churchill has said, they are so focused on the negative that they can never see the new opportunity. He should know. As most of Europe was falling into the hands of the Nazis and many could only see failure and resigned themselves to defeat, it was Prime Minister Winston Churchill who said Britain would not surrender. Having a positive outlook is extremely important and valuable. One of the greatest things you can do for yourself is to stop focusing on all the problems and negativity. Start looking for good and positive things. Start to look, with anticipation, as to what God wants you to do and do what He is doin...

There are many people who are afraid to be assertive. Sometimes, they are willing to allow others to take advantage of them, or even abuse them. They might even think it’s the “loving” thing to do. But this is not always true. You were created in the “Image of God”, which means you should not be demeaned or abused. You have been stamped with the very character of God Himself, and this alone gives you immense value. In addition, as a believer in Jesus, you are a child of God. Because of Jesus, the Bible says your name is “written in the Lamb’s book of life”. This means you have eternal life.  You can’t earn eternal life; it is a gift given to you through the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This means that you have tremendous value, and therefore, can be assertive. I am not talking about being aggressive, but rather assertive. Aggression is often about someone getting their way without much or no concern for others. Aggression is often about winning with no or little...

The great Scottish novelist, poet and travel writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, had a long period of illness. At one point, he was ill for 14 years. One day, he had to cease his writing because of a terrible bout of coughing. This is when his wife said to him, “I suppose you’re going to tell me it’s a glorious day.” As the sunlight was shining through the windows on a beautiful day, he said, “Yes, because I refuse to allow a row of medicine bottles to form the circumference of my world.” We need to have the same outlook in our time. The events surrounding us do not define us. The events we are encountering do not have to determine our reaction. Knowing that God is still in charge is what defines us, and we experience this through faith. This is what the Apostle Paul means with these words: 2 Corinthians 5:7 ESV     For we walk by faith, not by sight. Pray with me: Heavenly Father, help us to not look at life through the circumstances we face. Instead, through the eyes o...

The question of suffering is always something people ponder. Especially, when we are people of faith, we sometimes assume suffering should not come our way. And when it does come, people will often ask if it was because of something they had done or failed to do. Well, the truth is that Christians will suffer like everyone else and sometimes even more. The reasons can vary. It can be brought about through persecution of the Christ follower, since the Bible says we are engaged in a spiritual war, it can be an attack of the evil one, and there are other reasons.  The Apostle Paul had some kind of infirmity. Scholars are not certain what it was, but it gave him a great deal of trouble. It could have been poor eye sight, because in one of his letters he says, “Look at what large letters I am writing.” Some have speculated it was epilepsy. But whatever it was, it was apparently a burden to him. Look at how he handled this problem: 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Three times I appealed to the Lor...

In theology, there are a couple of ways to look at suffering and struggle. They go by the names the Theology of Glory or Triumphalism and the Theology of the Cross. The Theology of the Glory/Triumphalism states that if you are truly a believer in Jesus Christ, you will not suffer, but instead, you will prosper most of the time. The Theology of Glory goes on to proclaim that if you are suffering, it is most likely a sign you are not truly walking with Christ as deeply as you should or could. There are many pastors who preach a Theology of Glory. I happen to not agree or believe it is a biblical understanding. On the other hand, the Theology of the Cross says that if Jesus suffered, you and I will probably suffer as well. Suffering is not a sign of a lack of faith, but actually might be understood as an indicator of strong faith which is being attacked by the evil one. After all, Jesus said, “The servant is not greater than his master.” ( John 15:18-22 ) In other words, if He suffered, c...