Something to Think About

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
(Albert Einstein) Someone put it this way, “If you always do what you’ve always done you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. Is it time to change?

Pastor's Corner

In Nehemiah chapter one, we find the Jews still in exile and in captivity in Babylon. Nehemiah finds favor with the Babylonian King and becomes his cup bearer. This puts Nehemiah in a unique position close to the King; he has the ear of the king if you will. The King of Persia at this time was the most powerful man on Earth, so being in a position close to him was a good place for Nehemiah to be. When Nehemiah is lead to ask for his captive people to be let free he does not appeal to the King, he goes to God in prayer. I think today we can look for favor from our Earthly superiors before we go to God with our requests; He is the one who is really in charge anyway. We can remember this as a rule of thumb and learn from the example of Nehemiah. We can seem to put way to much value on what the world or people think about things. Do we think to go to the Bible and see what God has to say about these areas of our lives? God has carefully written this book as a guide for us, and He is always there for us when we need to reach out to Him through prayer. Sometimes the Bible can be deep and tough to understand, this is a great reason to get involved in a small study group, or to reach out to someone who may have a better understanding of the word of God than you do. Each of us has been called into some form of service to the Lord, the better we understand His word, the better we can serve Him. This week I encourage everyone to step up their devotion time. If you read one verse a week, this week read two. If you always seem to be too busy for a Bible study, try and find a way to get to one on a regular basis. Pick up the phone and reach out for some help or call someone who may be struggling to see if you can lighten their burden. There are so many ways we can step up to the call of God and I believe the first step is going to Him and making Him priority in our lives. If we put God first in our lives, the rest of our lives will fall into place how He intended all along. Thanks Jake Thomas.

Something to Think About

You can’t change where you’ve been but you can change where you’re going.

Pastor's Corner

“The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he. (Deut 32:4)

Exile-anyone separated from his or her country or home voluntarily or by force of circumstances.

In reading through the book of Ezra over the past couple of weeks, exile was one of the main points that jumped out at me. The nation of Israel was in exile to Babylon for 70 years. This book tells of the return of the people of Israel to their native land. God worked on the hearts of their oppressors and the people of Israel were allowed to go to Jerusalem and begin rebuilding the temple. In the world of today there are so many people, institutions, and groups that are opposed to Christianity. It is reassuring to me to know that God can use the hearts and the minds of the unsaved for the betterment of His kingdom. This says to me that if I keep my eyes fixed on Jesus, and knowing Him better, He will provide a way for me to keep “rebuilding” my temple. Regardless of who is in authority over us here on Earth, God is in authority over all. He will always make a way for His people, even when there seems to be no way. He will use the saved and the unsaved to bring glory and honor to His great name. We can work at rebuilding our personal temples through getting to know His word and will for our lives. Having the courage and faith of beginning the rebuilding process from ground zero, or a remodeling of sorts for those who have been walking with the Lord a long time and have become stagnant in their faith.
Jake Thomas

Pastor's Corner

How do we react when we have been wronged? Is our anger justified?  Are we quick to forgive or do we hold on to this resentment with both hands? We must remember that the anger and resentment we harbor only affects us, not the person we are upset with. God calls us to be quick to forgive and slow to anger. “…if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt 6:15) If we are to be forgiven, we must forgive those who have offended us.  Then the question can be raised, “how many times must I forgive someone who offends me?”  “…and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.”(Luke 17:4) This is not saying we should put ourselves in harms way, or make unwise decisions that make us vulnerable to being used and abused.  I think it calls us to allow for the imperfection of our fellow man, and gives us a small glimpse at the grace of Jesus. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory, compassion is where our hearts should lie concerning our Christian brothers and sisters. This week’s Pastor’s corner is a call to break down the walls of resentment, let go and let God into these areas of our lives so we can love more and judge less. Thanks, have a blessed week. Jake Thomas.