5-31-2018

Good Morning All,

    Isaiah63:9; “In all their troubles he was troubled, and he was the Messenger who saved them.  In his love and compassion he reclaimed them.  He always held them and carried them in the past.”

    “I feel your pain.”  With that phrase, a presidential election shifted.  As Bill Clinton campaigned against George H. W. Bush, this phrase, spoken by Clinton, changed the tone of the election.  With this phrase Bush was put on the defensive as a wealthy elitist who was out of touch with the average American.  As most Americans heard this, they began to perceive that the former governor of Arkansas understood their plight better than a career Washington diplomat. 

    Most people like it when someone can empathize with them.  If you have been in the hospital with some ailment, it can help to talk to someone who has already gone through the same ailment.  I find that when someone experiences a tragedy it is most helpful if they can talk with someone who has experienced this type of event earlier.  A widow shows far more empathy with another widow woman.  A person who is experiencing a divorce can receive comfort from someone who has been through one earlier. 

    This is why it is so incredible about what Jesus did for us.  In order for him to know what our troubles, the pain of this life, he came to earth to walk among us and to experience this life.  He walked among the sick and the lame.  He knew the cruelty of oppression.  He knew the loneliness and the emptiness that life can bring.  He saw loved ones die; he held them as they went.  He saw the needs of the people whom he viewed as lost sheep.  By seeing it and experiencing it, he knew what life was like so he knows what your life is like.

    Because of his love he reclaims you.  There is no sin that has to go unforgiven.  He picks you up and cleans you off and calls you his own.  He puts you on the path to salvation that he wants you to walk.  Even when we fail and slip back into sin, he pulls us up and out of the mud and cleans us again. Through all of our battles and struggles Christ has fought for us.  He has given us the victory.  It is because of his grace that we are conquerors, victors over the devil and his ways.  While the struggle may seem intense at times and difficult to see the end, we will be victorious.  Our salvation is achieved, our comfort secured and our hope is ever unfailing.  God is ever with us, through whatever is thrown at us.  God has carried us in the past; he always has and has never failed.  He will never fail you tomorrow.

Gracious Father, you have always carried us.  You have given to us the certainty of your grace.  Empower us to boldly hold onto your holy promise.  Keep us in your mighty arms and defend us from all the devil’s lies.  We pray especially for those whose battles are fierce that you would protect them and give them the comfort that they so desperately need.  Guard and protect us we pray, in Jesus’ precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret  

5-30-2018

Good Morning All,

     Psalm 50:15; “Call on me in times of trouble.  I will rescue you, and you will honor me.”

    After these past few years, I still am trying to figure out my smartphone.  I have quickly discovered it is smarter than me.  I keep having people tell me how your phone can do everything for you.  You just need get an “app” for it.  I heard on the radio the other day that there is an “app” that will allow your phone to help diagnose skin cancer.  All you do is take a picture of the mole or spot on your skin and with this “app” it will tell you if it is malignant or not. 

    There are apps for the weather, for the stock or commodity markets, for the news, there are apps to allow you to set your thermostat or lights in your house when you are away, or any one of literally thousands of different app that can make your smartphone do incredible things.  Some of the apps are free and some are very expensive.  Yet you need to have the app on your smartphone in order to get the benefit of the app.  You also need to learn how to use the app properly and you need to be sure that the phone you have has the necessary add-ons in order to make it work as well.  They are nice to have but they can be difficult to handle especially when the “one size fits all” app doesn’t fit your phone.  Or you need an upgrade in either your phone or your service plan.  I really get a headache about the time that Stacy (my phone guru salesperson) tries to explain this. 

    The thing about the apps is that you have to put them on your phone and you often have to pay for them.  The other thing is that when you really need them; the best you can do is guess if they will actually work.  Those are things that we do not have to do with prayer.  Prayer exists for you from the moment that you are given into faith.  God has promised to hear the call of his children.  We don’t have to buy anything or even really understand how it works.  It just works!!  Prayers to God get results!!  The results may not be what we think we want but honest prayers get results.  The results aren’t always a visible effect but are often a spiritual effect.  We may not be healed of our pain but God gives us the peace to deal with it and the hope of our salvation.  Prayer affects the way you live but it also effects the way you live.  A true personal prayer life effects or changes the way you view life, the way you experience life and even the outcome of your life. 

    Prayer gives you the constant interaction with God; along with a devotional time you have the conversation time with God.  We listen to him through his Word and we speak to him through our prayers and all without an app!

Dearest Father, you encourage us to call upon you for you give us the hope and peace that we so desperately seek.  Give us the wisdom to bring all things to you that we may find in you all that we need.  Be with those who are at greatest need of your peace.  Lead them to call to you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret   

5-29-2018

 Good Morning All,

    Romans 3:28; “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”

          I remember a conversation that I had with a non-churchgoer.  She told me that she would never go to that church after all it was full of hypocrites!!  My initial reaction was to say to her, “well thank you for not being one more in there.” But the Spirit held my tongue and I just smiled.  I wanted to say something but for the life of me I couldn’t think of anything; perhaps this has happened to you as well.

    It seems that we hear comments like this often.  We hear often how the church and its members are judgmental, hypocritical, greedy, self-serving and a bunch of other things.  At times it may seem that those charges are right.  Yet from my standpoint, most of the people that I talk to in the church have faith.  They believe that Jesus died for their sins and hold onto that truth.  So the church is made up, mostly of believers.  So why does the church so often trip over its own feet and make mistakes? 

    The reason is that the church is made up of sinners; people who are fallible, who make errors, who make bad decisions, who cannot see into the future and go the wrong direction; in other words the church is made up of people like you and me.  We are redeemed by God but we continue to sin.  There is a Latin phrase to explain this; it is “simul justus et peccator”.  This means that you are, at the exact same time, justified and still a sinner.

     We are justified by faith through God’s grace.  We don’t work to earn it.  So when we look at the church each person is this type of person.  We are God’s children and it is through us that God chooses to work in the world.  Yet at the same time we are sinners; we say callous things, we are jealous of other’s success, we tend to look out for ourselves; we are sinners.  We are an imperfect people working in a broken creation; we are probably going to make mistakes but who we are; we are the redeemed children of God.  We will make mistakes so if we go in realizing this; that perfection here on this earth will not occur, then we can go forward trusting in God for guidance.

    We don’t need to defend the church. If someone tells you that the church is full of sinners; tell them,” Yes, that is the complete truth!!”  We are not the church because we are perfect; we are the church because we are the redeemed; we are the justified.  We are declared holy by God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice.  So as you go forward today; know that you probably will sin.  You probably don’t want to but you probably will.  Know for certain that you are a redeemed child of God; you are justified by faith.

Dearest Father, we are weak yet you build us up and send us out as your church.  You move through this world using the weak and the feeble.  Through this you show your grace to us and to the world.  Give us the certainty to trust in your mercy to keep us close to you.  In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret