Aug

09

A new song

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With the past several months a blur due to the imposed constraints of quarantine and restrictions taking precedence because of a global pandemic, it’s amazing to realize that spring slipped right by and now the calendar says…yikes, August?

While the new breed of “cancel” culture is thriving, so, too, is the Lord thriving. Our local government may mandate closings, but there’s more liberty in the oracles of God than any man can thwart. As believers, nothing has changed for us, only the culture around us. We remain steady in Christ despite our circumstances.

So, with the government’s restrictions slowly being lifted and most of Pennsylvania now in the green zone, we have double the reason to rejoice. May we sing a new song unto the Lord for delivering us from everything—most importantly, our sins through Christ.

Aug

03

What Path are you on?

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Walking down the right path, we can rest assured of our security and safety. Despite the winds of defeat or the storms that buffet, no other anchor is needed to keep a believer’s head above water than holding onto the blessed rock of our salvation, our savior, Jesus.

In Psalm 16, David seeks the Lord and flees to him for protection from the threats of Saul. “You are my Lord,” he says. “Apart from you, I have no good thing.” David’s desire to cling to the Lord through his adversity is an example for believers today. “I will set the Lord continually before me; because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”

David, like all believers, knew that God was his security and would never leave him. When we walk with the Lord and place our trust in his hands, we can rest knowing that he’s got our backs. “Therefore, my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure because you will not abandon me to the grave (Sheol) nor will you let your holy one see decay.”

On earth, there will be trials but by abiding in God’s word, we will not fall into the pit of destruction nor will we be shaken with every wind of trouble. If we stay on the path he ordains, we can rest in knowing he’s there.

Like David, we, too can say, “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Jul

26

Looking to Jesus

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The world has been— from the beginning of time—a place where man seeks his own predominance. Love of one’s self began in the Garden when the serpent tempted Eve to become a self-seeker and deny God’s commandment. The battle continues today to gain ground when we take our eyes off of Jesus.

Cultural clashing of one group over another is more than ideologies butting up against each other. It’s not just about civil unrest vs. civility, racial fairness vs. inequality. It’s more about man’s idea that he wants to take the reins of power upon himself to live, rule, and dictate toward these same ends. It’s all about domination and dictating as man sees fit and not seeking God in the process. Unless the Lord builds the house, our labors are in vain.

In the midst of cultural warfare, there is but one weapon that needs to be used. It’s God’s truth shared in love. If man were to take his cues from the Almighty and keep his eyes focused on him, there would be no necessity for war, rioting, or societal upheaval.

Jul

19

The right kind of hope

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What do you hope in? To what do you ascribe your faith? Most would say they have faith in things that make them secure. The Hebrew word for faithfulness literally means “firmness”; figuratively, it means “security,” and “fidelity” is the moral definition.

In 2 Thessalonians 3:3, Apostle Paul appeals to the believers and reminds them the Lord is faithful. His promise to us is that he will strengthen and protect his children from the evil one because he is faithful.  He demonstrates this to us in several ways. Through his faithfulness, God not only protects us from evil, he sets limits on our temptations, forgives our sins, and sanctifies us.

While God is faithful to us in various way, our faith in him has different facets as well. There are different ways to ascribe our faith to God:  Faith as belief, faith as commitment, faith in our waiting on God, and faith in him as our refuge. Our whole world can fall apart, but Jesus has said that he will never leave us or forsake us.

God’s faithfulness is the pivot upon which turns his whole purpose for humanity. God calls and then through his goodness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4; 1 John 1:9). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

The better we truly know God, the more we will want to put our complete hope and trust in him. God’s children walk by faith and not by sight.

 

 

 

Jul

14

A Quilting of Love

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The magnificent works of the Lord are above and beyond amazing. Can mere words do them justice?

Take a look at nature, the sky, or a flower and marvel at the handiwork of our Lord. If he can be concerned for such things, how much more for you? Remember what the Lord has done for you in the past and his promises for the future. Call back the trials you’ve hurdled, the wounds he’s healed, and the way he’s pardoned all of your iniquities—all because of his loving desire for you. Meditate on how much he loves you and is as close to you as bone is to marrow.

The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. ~ Psalm 19:1

He weaves a new dawn in the stillness of morning, and prompts the sun to melt the night’s shadows.

He uncovers the buds cut finer than satin, sprouting fresh life in splashes of dew.

His presence is sewn in a sparrow’s song, a trickling riverbed, the hush of a mountain top, while the rocks and hills proclaim His name.

Each moment, His glory enrobes the landscape, a tapestry bountiful as grains of sand.