Hello Saints,
On Friday, August 21, 2020, we are meeting at Hillsboro United Methodist Church at noon, to make homemade ice cream. Then on Saturday, August 22, 2020, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., outside under the pavilion, behind the church, we will host an outside ice cream social. We will be social distancing, but we will be spirit-filled and enjoying some amazing homemade ice cream. We hope you bring your family and please invite some friends; it’s going to be a fun night in the midst of this pandemic. Fellowshipping with other kingdom people is imperative for a healthy life and heart, as we discussed in worship on Sunday.
You can discover God’s recipe for homemade ice cream in (Proverbs 25:13):
Proverbs 25:13 – New Revised Standard Version
are faithful messengers to those who send them;
they refresh the spirit of their masters.
You could argue that the scripture is referring to a snowcone rather then homemade ice cream, but the critical ingredient is the same for both, and it’s love. All great recipes have many ingredients, and there is usually one or two ingredients that make it all come together. For God’s recipe, the main ingredients have always been love and service.
In the days of Solomon, people craved something cool and refreshing to help curve their dehydration from the blistering heat. Today we can go to our favorite ice cream joint and get our favorite treat, or we can support the HUMC Ice Cream Social on Saturday, August 22, 2020, just saying. The point of getting ice cream, especially in the hot months, is to be refreshed. We have all said those special words “Ice Cream Ice Cream We All Scream Ice Cream.” Ice Cream is fantastic unless you are lactose intolerant, then you must find a sufficient substitute, and there are a few worthy alternatives out there. The smile that stretches across a child’s face when you hand them ice cream is priceless. There are a few ice cream trucks still around, but nothing like the old days. When I was a kid, hearing that music coming from the ice cream truck was a rush. Everybody jumped into action mode because if you missed the ice cream man, it was going to be a sad day. Dependable parents regularly had a crisp dollar bill waiting to hand to their kids. Adults were anxious to witness the excitement as the children exploded through the door to get to the street and greet the ice cream truck. Let’s face it, most of us love to be refreshed, and homemade ice cream is one of the many ways we can experience a little freshness in our lives.
The big question you need to ask yourself spiritually from our study of (Proverbs 25:13) is this, are you a breath of fresh air to all who trust you? Do you refresh the spirits of those who depend on you, like homemade ice cream on a hot day? When showing up to work, do people scatter, or do they light up when they see your face? Can your employer or employees depend on you to be an adequate and consistent source of joy and inspiration in the workplace? During this time of COVID-19, finding someone demonstrating what it means to be happy, joyous, and free can be a rare experience. Many people are counting on you, depending on you, trusting you; not only meet your responsibilities but to do so consistently with the proper attitude. There are many lessons and blessings from today’s message. Contagious joy is created by kingdom people helping people find and follow Jesus and doing by demonstrating faith and an attitude that’s worth catching.
The harvest occurred in the fall in Israel, just like it does here in the heartland. After a hot day in the fields and all the hard work of bringing the harvest in for storage, the workers were hot, thirsty, and whipped. They were ready to be refreshed. The arrival of cooler weather was a pleasant relief and pleasure, and so was some of God’s homemade ice cream, which was merely the snow preserved from the nearby mountains (Proverbs 25:25). Snow itself is never good for the crops; it was the cool weather and the cooling effect of snow that was good. Solomon and his people relied on the refreshing effect of cool weather and a cool refreshment for their smiles.
Solomon used a messenger, or ambassador, for the lesson, though it applies to all jobs and duties. Rather than working under constant supervision, a messenger would be sent with news, covenants, or ultimatums to other places. It would be easy to delay departure, linger on the way, get sidetracked, forget details of the message, present it in the wrong way, say more than needed, misperceive the response, or fail in other ways (Proverbs 13:17). Many of you have heard me share before the lesson given to me by Art Johnson, the retired President of AAA Automobile Club of Missouri. He hired me for my first white-collar job. His teaching was simple, “Harold, you will do three things while you are employed here, you will: 1. Work Hard 2. Work Smart and 3. Work Honest. If you fail at any of those three you will no longer work here, are we clear?” I, of course, said, “absolutely.” I have never wavered from those principals, and I have enjoyed an incredible working career all these years. Solomon gave his servants freedom, and it was up to them to use it responsibly. God grants us the same kind of freedom for our own lives. We get to choose if we are going to be responsible.
Faithfulness is an excellent measure of a person’s character (Proverbs 11:13; 14:5; 27:6; 28:20). Most people claim to be faithful. Just read their resumes or listen to them talk! But there are only a few genuinely faithful people in any generation (Proverbs 20:6). A trustworthy person meticulously fulfills every duty to equal or exceed the expectations of those trusting or depending on them. We are all fatally flawed people, so none of us live the kingdom life perfectly, but we should all be striving to be responsible in all of our affairs. Winston Churchhill once said, “the greatest feeling in the world is the feeling experienced when you are responsible.”
How faithful are you? Are you early to work and appointments? Are you known for punctuality? Do you pace yourself on projects? Do you procrastinate? Do you always hit deadlines? Are you easily sidetracked? Are you distracted quickly? Do you always finish projects? Do you get the details others need? Are you a great communicator so that all parties know all that is required? Are your quality and quantity greater than expected? Being faithful doesn’t mean you become a workaholic. It means when it comes to God, family, work, and serving the kingdom, that we do what we say, we are going to do, and we are where we said we were going to be. We want the Solomon’s in our life to be able to depend on us because we are faithful. We want our heavenly father to be able to trust us with everything he has put under our care, custody, and control.
Faithful people are rare. You can separate yourself from the crowd by faithfulness in your assignments(Proverbs 22:29; Luke 2:52). Do your duties in such a way that those trusting you are filled with excitement by your outstanding performance. And this applies to the President of the United States or a student in kindergarten! (This is not an endorsement for ANY president.) I am speaking about principles, not personalities.
Kingdom people should be the most faithful people walking the earth. Only very faithful kingdom people tested by real duties should ever be ordained ( 1 Timothy 3:1-7). They should be the most diligent and faithful people in the church and focused on their God-given duties without distraction (Philippians 2:19-22; 1 Timothy 4:12-16; 2 Timothy 2:3-4; Titus 1:5-11.) It is shameful and depressing when religion and church leaders are under attack because of the “new morality” that exist, and the number of church leaders that have fallen in recent times. Spiritual pride is a killer for anyone who thinks they have arrived spiritually, and especially kingdom people in leadership positions inside and outside the church, including pastors and laity. Satan is real, the enemy prowls day and night, looking for every opportunity to kill, steal, and destroy (John 10:10). If you are a faithful leader, then you are a marked person, and be prepared to experience relentless spiritual warfare. For this very reason is why we need mentors, accountability partners, small groups, and consistent self-care practices in our lives.
The rest of your life begins now. Who is trusting you and depending on you that needs a refreshing bowl of homemade ice cream or the relief of a cool breeze? Get to your duties and fulfill each one better than expected. Child, make your bed, and clean your room correctly. Parents have a real meal for your family tonight. Parents do not relax or sleep tonight without training your family in kingdom principals. Mr. President, take care of our country. Pastor, take care of the flock. Teachers teach and take care of the kids. People love God and love your neighbor. There has never been a time in recent history, where kingdom people need to up their game, get back to the essential spiritual principals of kingdom living, and making every effort to practice these principles in all of your affairs.
Please come and support the HUMC Homemade Ice Cream Social. It is a free-will donation, and there will be a variety of flavors to choose from for your tastebuds. We will be gathering behind the church and under the pavilion. Bring your bag chair and invite a friend—what a great way to carry the kingdom message. Transformation UMC, please know this invitation is to your kingdom community too. Come and meet many of the great men and women of HUMC and see where Suzie and I live. I hope to see as many of you as possible on Saturday.
Shalom,
Pastor Harold Long
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