Tag Archive | "CORNER"

Tags: , , , , , , ,

CLERGY CORNER: Try happiness

Posted on 12 July 2018 by LeslieM

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.— James 5:13 (NLT)

No one is exempt from going through bad times, but please do not forget that we have many good times also. Whether everything is great or it totally stinks, God should always have our attention. Last Sunday when I went to church, I knew I was in for a great day. How could I not be? I was in God’s House, the “Happiest Place on Earth.” However, as I looked around at this happy place, I started to think. In this happy place, there was a crying child, a man who just lost a family member to Cancer, a young woman going through a divorce and a preacher that felt each of their pain. I couldn’t help but think, even in God’s House, the happiest place on earth, there is still suffering and hurting people. Check out Psalms Chapter 20 (Awesome):

1 In times of trouble, may the LORD respond to your cry. May the God of Israel keep you safe from all harm.

2 May he send you help from his sanctuary and strengthen you from Jerusalem.

3 May he remember all your gifts and look favorably on your burnt offerings.

4 May he grant your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans.

5 May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory, flying banners to honor our God. May the LORD answer all your prayers.

6 Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed king. He will answer him from his holy heaven and rescue him by his great power.

7 Some nations boast of their armies and weapons, but we boast in the LORD our God.

8 Those nations will fall down and collapse, but we will rise up and stand firm.

9 Give victory to our king, O LORD! Respond to our cry for help.

Psalms 20 (NLT)

For some, our happiest place is with our family and friends, or taking a walk on the beach. We cannot escape suffering; no matter how hard we try, we are not exempt. Sometimes, suffering is used for correcting; sometimes, it is used for God’s glory; sometimes, it is used to build our character, and sometimes one person suffers for another’s benefit. Yet, there are times when we really don’t understand why others or we ourselves are suffering. Like Job from the Bible, we must seek to trust God and endure because we win when we do! We have a happy place found in the presence of the Lord. If God could hear Jonah’s cry from inside the whale, then I am sure he can hear your cry. One thing is for sure: if we are suffering in any way, then we should be praying and talking to God a lot. What do you think?

Perhaps you are in a season of hurt or suffering right now. In this moment, it may not be clear why your suffering is happening. Your role in this season is to spend time with and reach out to God, knowing that He will help you through this trial with His strength. In this way, at the end of the day, you will be able to rejoice in who God is. James 5:13 says we should pray and praise God during the good times and the bad times. In good or bad times, we better be spending time with God. Try happiness … it is found in the presence of the Lord.

Pastor Tony Guadagnino is a pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church, located at 801 SE 10 St. in Deerfield Beach. www.clfdeerfield.com.

Comments Off on CLERGY CORNER: Try happiness

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

CLERGY CORNER: Love of a father

Posted on 14 June 2018 by LeslieM

Why do we love? Do we love because of what we can get out of a relationship or because of what we can give into a relationship? God, our Father, has given us good examples of what a loving father is to be like. We have a Father in Heaven who loves us unconditionally and gives us wonderful gifts. We have a Father who cares for our pains, trials and triumphs. God tells us not to worry and takes care of our needs. God longs to hear from you, His child. Don’t miss your chance to do the very same thing for your Father in Heaven, who loved you so much He sent his Son to die for you.

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask Him?Matthew 7:11 (KJV)

I don’t know about you, but Father’s Day really conjures up a lot of conflicting emotions for me. I am blessed to be the father of wonderful children. I am also equally blessed for having a good father in my life. I was not the best kid and I was not the worst kid either. While others judged and even pronounced me a failure, “My Dad” just kept on loving me. I attempted to run from that love, but like the “hound of heaven,” he would not let me get away. His influence in my life cannot be overstated. “My Dad” — he really loved me. And, by the way, I turned out okay (crazy, but okay)! I really don’t know if we can love our kids too much. But, I do know that love needs to be expressed and valued. Your children — regardless of their lot in life or their adherence to your desires — need to know your love for them is constant and secure. You can love them and not support the lifestyle they have.

The Lord is like a Father to his children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him.Psalm 103:13 (NLT)

So, if you are a father, turn the tables on your kids on Father’s Day. When they tell you how special you are, make sure they know how you feel about them. You might even say, “Son/daughter, I love you!” There is no doubt in my mind that my dad knows how much I love him. It is also nice to say why sometimes. Some of you may not have a pleasant memory of your father or you might not have any memories at all. This may be the time to start down the road to forgiveness and/or reconciliation, or it may be a chance to thank others in your life that have offered fatherly wisdom to you and tell them why you appreciate them. I can’t help but feel slightly convicted, for when have I shared this kind of a moment with my Heavenly Father? Maybe your prayers often reflect more of what you want and less of how wonderful the Lord is, or more of what you need and less of how thankful you are for what you have.

Father’s Day is almost here. Plan to tell your father why you love him and appreciate him. Also, if you have children, make sure you tell them that you love them and why.

Tony Guadagnino is the pastor for Christian Love Fellowship Church, 801 SE 10 St., Deerfield Beach. www.clfdeerfield.com.

Comments Off on CLERGY CORNER: Love of a father

Tags: , , , , , , ,

CLERGY CORNER: When we fail

Posted on 10 May 2018 by LeslieM

Something we all do every day is fail God. Even though it is the goal of every follower of God to live our lives perfectly as He did, the Bible tells us that we all sin and fall short of God’s glory. It also says that if we say we don’t sin, we are a liar. So accepting the fact that we all fail God at times, I want to focus on how we respond when we fail. Listen to me closely; you will never be able to live this life victoriously until you learn the proper response when you fail God.

The most important thing you can do when you fail is to accept responsibility for your actions. We are masters at blaming others when we fail. Man has not really changed since the Garden of Eden. When Adam failed, he blamed Eve. When God confronted Eve with her failure, she blamed the serpent. When you take responsibility for your failure, you become sorry for letting God down and go to Him with a broken heart asking for forgiveness.

None of us is immune from sin. That is why God gives us His special promise in 1 John 1:9. It tells us if we will confess our sins, He will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We must trust His Word, know He has forgiven us and move on to fulfill our purpose of serving and glorifying God with our lives. We are no good to God when we allow our sin to strangle us and to paralyze us.

The devil loves to use our sin against us, to hold it over our head. However, the Bible says that when God forgives us, He not only forgives, but also forgets. If God forgets, then we need to as well so that we can move forward and live victorious, productive lives for the Kingdom. Jesus tells us in John 8:44 that Satan is a liar, that he is the father of lies. When he speaks, he speaks his native language, lying. One of the lies of the devil is to use your sin against you, to tell you that you are no good. He will tell you that you are not worthy of God’s love and grace.

We try our best each day to live like Jesus. We are all faced with the temptations of this world. We are all faced with the traps the enemy lays for us. From time to time, we all fall into sin.

How we respond to our sin is critical. Running from God is a natural response, but the wrong one. We quit reading the Bible, quit praying, quit going to church, which makes us an even bigger target for the enemy. Instead of running away from God, we must run to God, accept responsibility for our actions, and have the guts to say, “I sinned.”

What I want you to understand today is not if we sin, but when we sin, what our response must be. When you fail, you must accept responsibility for your sins and ask God for forgiveness, and move forward with your life.

God has much for you to do. He has a great plan for your life. Let me assure you today that He loves you. Whatever you may have done doesn’t change that. Our failure does not change God’s love for us!

Tony Guadagnino is the pastor at Christian Love Fellowship Church, located at 801 SE 10 St., Deerfield Beach, FL 33441. For more information, call 954-428-8980 or visit www.clfministries.org.

Comments Off on CLERGY CORNER: When we fail

Advertise Here
Advertise Here