Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Something to think about.
“A gentle and quiet spirit is of great worth in God’s sight.” (1 Peter 3:4)
Pastor's Corner
for Sunday February 27th
Joni Erickson Tada who was paralyzed from the neck down in a diving accident wrote about facing temptation in her book “Secret Strength”, Joni writes, “I was in my late 20’s, single, and with every prospect of remaining so. Sometimes lust or a bit of fantasizing would seem so inviting and so easy to justify. After all, hadn’t I already given up more than most Christians just by being disabled? Didn’t my wheelchair entitle me to a little slack now and then?” Joni goes on to ask her readers; “When God allows you to suffer, do you have tendency to use your trials as an excuse for sinning? Or do you feel that since you’ve given God a little extra lately by taking abuse that He owes you a ‘day off’?" Hard times often lead to the temptation of indulging in pleasure to numb the pain. It’s so easy to justify our bad behavior with, “I’ve been having a REALLY bad day!” This is where the Apostle Paul’s words are important, “So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.” (Gal 6:9) In the middle of the battle we get tired but we must keep fighting. The day will come when we will be able to lay our swords down – but not today, today we must fight, today we must not give up.
Pastor Don.
Joni Erickson Tada who was paralyzed from the neck down in a diving accident wrote about facing temptation in her book “Secret Strength”, Joni writes, “I was in my late 20’s, single, and with every prospect of remaining so. Sometimes lust or a bit of fantasizing would seem so inviting and so easy to justify. After all, hadn’t I already given up more than most Christians just by being disabled? Didn’t my wheelchair entitle me to a little slack now and then?” Joni goes on to ask her readers; “When God allows you to suffer, do you have tendency to use your trials as an excuse for sinning? Or do you feel that since you’ve given God a little extra lately by taking abuse that He owes you a ‘day off’?" Hard times often lead to the temptation of indulging in pleasure to numb the pain. It’s so easy to justify our bad behavior with, “I’ve been having a REALLY bad day!” This is where the Apostle Paul’s words are important, “So don't get tired of doing what is good. Don't get discouraged and give up, for we will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time.” (Gal 6:9) In the middle of the battle we get tired but we must keep fighting. The day will come when we will be able to lay our swords down – but not today, today we must fight, today we must not give up.
Pastor Don.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Pastor's Corner
for Sunday Feb 20th
Little foxes.
“Quick! Catch all the little foxes before they ruin the vineyard of your love, for the grapevines are all in blossom.” (Song of Sol. 2:15) Foxes in Palestine were very destructive in the vineyards; they would eat the roots and the young fruit. And so those working the vineyards were constantly on the lookout for foxes that would damage the crop. The metaphor here is that the vineyard is a relationship and the “little foxes” are those things that are destructive to that relationship. So we must be constantly alert for the “foxes” that tear away at our relationships. In a marriage it could be the fox of selfishness and pride which refuses to acknowledge that we have done something wrong. Or it may be an unforgiving spirit which will not accept the apology of the other. However, I want us to apply this to our relationship with God because that relationship has “foxes” too, “little foxes” that are robbing you of joy and peace; “little foxes” that are robbing you of a closer walk with God. What “little foxes” are tearing away at your relationship with God? Is it worry? Is it discontent? Are you angry with God because of some situation in your life? These are valid emotions but if unchecked they become “little foxes” that rob your life of joy and peace and intimacy with God. Maybe the “little foxes” are “little sins”; things that we think are small and unimportant but little sins grow into big sins. So catch all the little foxes before they ruin the vineyard of your love.
Pastor Don.
Little foxes.
“Quick! Catch all the little foxes before they ruin the vineyard of your love, for the grapevines are all in blossom.” (Song of Sol. 2:15) Foxes in Palestine were very destructive in the vineyards; they would eat the roots and the young fruit. And so those working the vineyards were constantly on the lookout for foxes that would damage the crop. The metaphor here is that the vineyard is a relationship and the “little foxes” are those things that are destructive to that relationship. So we must be constantly alert for the “foxes” that tear away at our relationships. In a marriage it could be the fox of selfishness and pride which refuses to acknowledge that we have done something wrong. Or it may be an unforgiving spirit which will not accept the apology of the other. However, I want us to apply this to our relationship with God because that relationship has “foxes” too, “little foxes” that are robbing you of joy and peace; “little foxes” that are robbing you of a closer walk with God. What “little foxes” are tearing away at your relationship with God? Is it worry? Is it discontent? Are you angry with God because of some situation in your life? These are valid emotions but if unchecked they become “little foxes” that rob your life of joy and peace and intimacy with God. Maybe the “little foxes” are “little sins”; things that we think are small and unimportant but little sins grow into big sins. So catch all the little foxes before they ruin the vineyard of your love.
Pastor Don.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Something to think about.
“We want to use God as a pathway to improve our experience of life. But God wants to use our experience of life as a pathway to know Him.” (from The Cry of the Soul)
Pastor's Corner
for Sunday 13th February
God’s trophy case.
“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 3:10)
This reminds us that we are called for something far greater than our own individual salvation experience. We are called to be the means by which God teaches the universe how He can make the ugly beautiful; the crooked straight; the broken well again; the sinner righteous. Stott puts it this way, "It is as if a great drama is being enacted. History is the theatre, the world is the stage, and the church members in every land are the actors. God himself has written the play, and he directs and produces it. Act by act, scene by scene, the story continues to unfold. But who are the audience? They are the cosmic intelligences, the principalities and powers in the heavenly places." So you see this is why what we do and how we react to situations is so important: because angelic and demonic beings are watching us. He says to them, “See their faith? See how they’re handling this difficult situation? I’m so proud of them.” “See how they love one another? Their hearts that were so selfish and full of envy now love the unlovable!” God proudly shows all the cosmic beings the intricate, delicate beauty of His redeemed people, a beauty He has created in us by His redeeming grace. We are God’s trophies; His living miracles! That makes me feel both proud and humble at the same time.
Pastor Don.
God’s trophy case.
“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 3:10)
This reminds us that we are called for something far greater than our own individual salvation experience. We are called to be the means by which God teaches the universe how He can make the ugly beautiful; the crooked straight; the broken well again; the sinner righteous. Stott puts it this way, "It is as if a great drama is being enacted. History is the theatre, the world is the stage, and the church members in every land are the actors. God himself has written the play, and he directs and produces it. Act by act, scene by scene, the story continues to unfold. But who are the audience? They are the cosmic intelligences, the principalities and powers in the heavenly places." So you see this is why what we do and how we react to situations is so important: because angelic and demonic beings are watching us. He says to them, “See their faith? See how they’re handling this difficult situation? I’m so proud of them.” “See how they love one another? Their hearts that were so selfish and full of envy now love the unlovable!” God proudly shows all the cosmic beings the intricate, delicate beauty of His redeemed people, a beauty He has created in us by His redeeming grace. We are God’s trophies; His living miracles! That makes me feel both proud and humble at the same time.
Pastor Don.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Something to think about.
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.” Psalm 34:19
Pastor's Corner
for Sunday Feb 6th
Come Drink the Living Water
“My people have committed two sins. They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jeremiah 2.13) Israel had done two things; they had forsaken God as the source of living water and tried to make their own water. Their apostasy was evident in the way they treated other people, e.g. they had forsaken the poor, the stranger, and the alien; they were following the ways of the world and then going to the temple thinking this made everything alright with them and God (Jeremiah. 7). Thus they had carved out for themselves “cisterns” that drank solely from the culture and not from the “spring” of revelation. God says, these cisterns cannot hold water and will leave them thirsty again. This is a truth that we seem to have trouble believing – that the things of this world cannot satisfy, they will always leave us thirsty. Only God can give us “living water”; only God can give us water whereby we will never thirst again. Why is this true? Why can’t the things of this world satisfy? God tells us the answer, “God…has planted eternity in the human heart.” (Eccl. 3:11) God has planted eternity in our hearts and so only things that are eternal can fill our soul. We were not made for this world but for another world. So, in the words of Jesus, “To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! Let the thirsty ones come—anyone who wants to. Let them come and drink the water of life without charge.” (Rev.21:6, 22:17)
Pastor Don
Come Drink the Living Water
“My people have committed two sins. They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jeremiah 2.13) Israel had done two things; they had forsaken God as the source of living water and tried to make their own water. Their apostasy was evident in the way they treated other people, e.g. they had forsaken the poor, the stranger, and the alien; they were following the ways of the world and then going to the temple thinking this made everything alright with them and God (Jeremiah. 7). Thus they had carved out for themselves “cisterns” that drank solely from the culture and not from the “spring” of revelation. God says, these cisterns cannot hold water and will leave them thirsty again. This is a truth that we seem to have trouble believing – that the things of this world cannot satisfy, they will always leave us thirsty. Only God can give us “living water”; only God can give us water whereby we will never thirst again. Why is this true? Why can’t the things of this world satisfy? God tells us the answer, “God…has planted eternity in the human heart.” (Eccl. 3:11) God has planted eternity in our hearts and so only things that are eternal can fill our soul. We were not made for this world but for another world. So, in the words of Jesus, “To all who are thirsty I will give the springs of the water of life without charge! Let the thirsty ones come—anyone who wants to. Let them come and drink the water of life without charge.” (Rev.21:6, 22:17)
Pastor Don
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