1-7-2022

 Good Morning All,

       2 Corinthians 13:11; “Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

    I am fascinated by people who restore old cars, trucks, tractors, or anything like that. They can spend years removing the rust and the years of neglect that the vehicle had as it was sitting in someone’s trees. Or you watch those people who take old houses and restore them to their original beauty. The time and the effort and the cost of these restorations can be phenomenal.

     It takes a lot of patience to restore something to its original shape, luster, and quality. The love and care displayed by the one doing the restoration is apparent. Even if it takes a lifetime to accomplish; the labor of love is obvious.

    This is what God is doing to us. He is restoring us back to being ‘human;” back to what we were designed to be before sin corrupted us. When God created man, He created us to live in his presence with thanksgiving and praise; we were to take care of creation and we were to take care of each other. That pretty much sums up what it means to be human. 

     God began to restore mankind immediately after man’s fall into sin.  This process began with the promise of a Savior. The chosen people of God believed in the promise of a Savior and their redemption. Then Jesus came and began the new testament or covenant. Here we cling, not to the promise of a Savior, but to the promise of God that our sins are forgiven because of that Savior. The restoration of mankind and all creation will be complete when Christ returns.  But until that day comes; Jesus gave the task of continuing the message of salvation and repentance to the church.

    Just as Christ was reconciling the world to himself; he calls upon his church to do this ministry of reconciliation. Paul tells us in this verse to live the life which God created us to live and then sent Jesus to restore us to live. First and foremost, we are to rejoice.  Our eternal destiny is set, decided by the blood of Jesus on the cross given to us as a gift from our loving Father in heaven. We are to aim for restoration. This is a lifelong process. God has restored us and gives to us the task of restoring our relationships with others and of witnessing to others our restored relationship with God. This is not done in a day or for a day; it takes a lifetime of love to continue this process.

    Through it all, God’s spirit resides in us and with us. He is there to strengthen us, to encourage us, to remind us of what Jesus said, to guide us, to gather us, and to enlighten us. It is through God’s Spirit that we are able to do this lifelong restoration project.  It is through his peace that we are able to have peace with others.  So, until Jesus returns or until our task here on earth is completed; we are to aim for restoration, and we live with and in God’s love and peace.

Gracious Father, we give you thanks for the gift of redemption through Jesus. Guard us and guide us as we go about the restoring which you have called us to do. Move us by your Spirit to comfort each other and to live in peace. All this we ask in Jesus’ precious name, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-6-2022

       Good Morning All,

Isaiah 55:1; “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”

     Oh to be invited to a party! We all love parties. We love the atmosphere, we love the conversations, we love the people, and we especially love the food. We usually enjoy the food the most because we did not, buy it, cook it, or have anything to do with it but eat it.

     Despite what we may think, Americans did not invent the party. Parties go back as far as mankind does.  Our parties and festivities pale in comparison. Often times parties would last days at a time with the host even providing sleeping quarters and a change of clothes for the guests.  Wedding parties could last up to a week. So, when the Bible makes references to parties or celebrations, the original reader had a greater understanding than we may.

    This verse is the start of a chapter where we hear of God’s great mercy. Here we hear how he is restoring Israel to its place of honor. In the previous chapter we read of the covenant of peace; here we see the fruits of that peace. God invites us to come; come to the celebration. This wondrous celebration will be a daily occurrence when we live in the Lord’s Presence. If we are thirsty, we will come to the waters; even if we have no money, we can buy food and drink and not just any food and drink but the really good stuff.  We will not have to pay because it will already be bought.

    This verse can actually be read God inviting us to hear His Word of redemption; the forgiveness of sins which frees us from the terror of the devil.  He compares us to those who thirst for the word who seek to hear the truth that they are thirsting after it. They are longing for a little good news and God gives them a lot of good news. The hearing of this good news is free, and we are to come and savor it, we are to luxuriate in it. The good news of your salvation is the greatest celebration that you can ever have, and you receive it freely.

      Just like the finest wines and meats are very expensive so was the cost of your salvation. Yet someone else paid for it and someone else gave it to you so you can enjoy it, so you can have the benefit of it. So, we see that our salvation and the news of our salvation and the hearing of the news of our salvation are like a party that lasts forever.

      We no longer need to worry about struggles and the trials of this world. These are dealt with by our Lord. These trials can never defeat us. God stands triumphant over any and all things that the world and the devil can throw at us.  We have reason to celebrate and to enjoy the wonderful news of our salvation of our hope. God invites us to enjoy and to celebrate this wonderful joyous event. Come and drink buy with no money the finest wines and milk. Savor the honey and the meats. Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Dear Father, You feed us with the finest foods and drinks. You bless us with your Spirit but above all we have the gift of salvation from your gracious hand.  For this we give you our praise and thanksgiving. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret      

1-5-2022

       Good Morning All,

Romans 12:21;” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

    As I watched some of the college football games, I am reminded of the old adage that the second guy to throw a punch is the one that gets the penalty.  It seems that when one player gets away with a late or cheap hit, the second player usually gets mad and retaliates and gets caught. We see this occur all the time in sports, but we also see it in life.

    Whenever we deal with very difficult people, those people to whom ethics seem like a word for others to know and someone else to have; it becomes difficult to stay true to ourselves. It is very tempting to use some of his own tactics back at him. This is especially true when you know what his tactics are and what he is trying to do. We can see the trap he is placing in front of us, and we can avoid it. But what do we do when we do not see the trap and then we fall into it?

    This is when our anger can get the best of us, and we become what we despise. We can become wicked, deceitful, deceptive, petty, and underhanded. This not only plays into the hands of those who hate us and look to discredit Christians. It makes it harder to witness to our faith when we have engaged in this kind of deceit. It can be especially destructive if it “works” one time, and we feel that we experience some worldly success. This tempts us to believe that we can get away it again. It can tempt us to think that we are “above” God’s law and will. This temptation takes us back to the Garden where the devil tempted Eve with the promise to be “like God.”

    This type of action really serves the devil’s purpose. It draws us away from God and ensnares us into the devil’s trap. Whenever we engage in this type of activity, we will be overcome by evil; we cannot beat the devil at his own game.

    Our only chance is to follow God’s direction. This is one of those verses that give us some very practical advice as well as theological teaching. We, as God’s redeemed children, are never able to battle the devil especially on his turf and on his terms. We must always cling to God, His promises, and His justice. We may never see what we feel will be “justice.”  Yet by our staying true to our faith, we are witnessing to God’s grace and truth. When we repay evil with good, we confound the ones who commit the evil. More importantly, we are speaking the words of God’s precise Gospel message. We show love to those who hate us just as Christ did and instructs us to.

Dear Father in heaven, temptation is all around us. We try to stand up to it and fail miserably. Give us wisdom to rely on you and your strength and not our own. Give us the strength to stand to our foes and that by your grace; we may show your glory to the world. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret 

 

1-4-2022

 Good Morning All,

      1 Samuel 17:46a; “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.”  

    This is part of a verse from the story of David and Goliath. There is a lot about this story that intrigues me. One of those things is the tremendous detail that the writer of Samuel goes to in describing Goliath. Goliath was nine feet tall, his chest plate armor alone weighed 125 pounds and the head of his spear weighed 15 pounds. The shaft of the spear was big enough to use as the main frame of a weaver’s frame. This was one big, mean, ugly dude. He struck terror into the hearts of the entire Israelite army, king and all the people. He had challenged the Israelites to send out their best soldier. That best soldier and Goliath would fight; one on one and the winner of that battle would be the winner of the war. If the Israelite won, the Philistines would be the slaves and if Goliath won then the Israelite would be the slaves.

     For forty days, Goliath mocked the Israelites and their God. For forty days his challenge went unanswered. On the forty first day, David, a little shrimp of a kid, came out to do battle with Goliath and killed him with a stone and cut off Goliath’s head with Goliath’s own sword. This is quite a story.

    We all face “Goliaths” in our life. It might be changes at our workplace; it might be the prospect of getting married and moving away from Mom and Dad to a new place with this somewhat new person.  It might be the health of our parents or siblings or spouse or even our own health. For most of us the biggest Goliath we face is our own mortality. Someday, I will die and for many people nine feet is not tall enough for that Goliath. These are just a few things in our lives that strike terror into our hearts and minds. There are many others some of which may be your Goliath.

    David gives us a clue to our answer. Before the battle begins, Goliath gives the “trash talk” speech about how he will leave David on the field of battle for the birds and animals to pick clean. David responds with a statement of faith. “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand.”   We will face many Goliaths, but God has promised to deliver them into our hand. God has promised to guard and save us. Not matter what comes our way, we rest securely at the foot of the cross looking at the empty tomb. God has already delivered us up from the bondage of sin and the guilt and pain that sin causes us. So, as we face our “Goliaths,” we can do so with the same confidence that David did and be certain that God will deliver us as well. Faith that God would deliver him the victory over Goliath is what carried the day for David. That same faith will carry you through as well.

Dear Father, we face many “Goliaths” in our life and on our own we would fail. Yet you sent Jesus to do battle with all the Goliaths we face and defeated them and then gave that victory to us. Remind us of this truth as we cling only to you. In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret          

1-3-2022

 Good Morning All,

      James 5:16b; “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” 

    So, what do we do when we think that we cannot do anything else? Most of us say, “at least I can pray.”  I hear that often. We often place a very low priority on prayer. We often look at it as a lesser blessing. We think that preaching or teaching is the greatest gift. We think that healing or being a missionary has much greater value. Yet when we think of prayer it is pretty low.

    I think that part of this is because prayer is something that we all can do. We tend to place value on talents, skills, or gifts that we do not have and are rare. There are some churches which place a great value on someone being able to “speak in tongues” (a form of spiritual speaking) or some other very rare gift.  We look to the gifts that others have and see it as greater than ours. We may even think that if it is a gift that I have; it cannot be very important.

    This type of thinking is unfortunate, and it gives the devil an edge. The devil knows how valuable prayer is for the life of a Christian and he will do everything he can to divert it or destroy it. The devil wants nothing better than for you and me to undervalue prayer and to underutilize it. Unfortunately, many of us do just that, we fail to use it as much as we should.

     Prayer is one of the greatest gifts that God gives to us. Prior to Jesus’ death, prayer was a cumbersome process which was only properly handled by a priest in the Temple.  But Jesus gave to us the victory which allows us to come before God’s holy throne and not only come to him but come to him as children come to their dear and loving father. The power of prayer is beyond what we can ever fathom.

    God knows that the devil assaults us every day and it is through prayer that we stay in constant communication with God. This is how God designed it for us to maintain our courage and strength when facing the blistering attacks that the devil and this sinful world fires at us.

    True prayer: prayer that is honest and heartfelt; it opens the heart and soul to God. It keeps no secrets. Prayer that is sincere and truly trusts in God’s promise to hear it is a powerful tool. God answers prayer in his own time and in his own way, but he does answer them. So, as we face life, prayer should be first and foremost in our life.  It is no lesser gift; it is such a great and powerful gift that God gives it to all his children, to you and to me that we may stay strong and safe. It is our vital connection to God where we lift up to him our cries, our fears, our hopes and our joy.

    Prayer is our best ally in strengthening our faith. Use it every day and often; a closer relationship with God awaits you.

Dear Father, you gave us the gift of prayer to keep us close to you. Move us to utilize this wondrous gift to its full potential. Keep us in your care. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-2-2022

 Good Morning All,

           Hebrews 10:35-36; “Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.”

     “I wish I had said something.”  “I didn’t know what to say so I didn’t say anything.”  I hear that a lot. We go to work and get into a conversation with a co-worker, or we are at coffee and church, God, faith, religion becomes the topic, and we freeze. Or even worse, a friend comes to us quietly and they are distressed with some event in their life. Maybe they have found out they have cancer or that their son or nephew has lost his job.  We know we should say something but what.

     It is times like these that make us feel useless and without any clue as to who we are. You might even remember the Bible verse that says, “Be prepared to give a defense of your faith” and the guilt sinks in. It is times like these that cause our confidence to sink. It may be of little consolation, but all Christians go through this. We all face times when a chance or an opportunity to witness to our faith in Jesus and how we benefit from that faith just slips through our fingers. Maybe you were tongue tied, maybe you were intimidated, or maybe you just didn’t see the opportunity until after it was over.  It happens to all of us.

    The first thing is to stop beating yourself up. That is really the devil and your old sinful nature attacking you. Remember if the devil can convince us to always back away; if the devil can crush your confidence; he wins. Our confidence does not come from inside of us, remember it comes from God. We always need to have faith and to trust in that faith. God has promised to provide for us, and he will. He will give us the words.

    God gives us the words, but we still must be prepared. Take a little time sand think up how you would answer someone’s question or address someone’s pain. It might take some time, but it might be a real good learning experience. How do you receive God’s comfort? How do you receive Hs grace? This is part to come up with an answer but also to aid you in your faith. How do you receive God’s comfort? When you realize this, first you can offer this advice and direction to the person you are talking to. It will also help you when you are troubled. Some hear it best in music, some feel it best in the company of loved ones, and some receive by reading God’s Word.

      Whichever method comforts you the best, we see that God uses whatever created means he wants to come to you. Plus, we know that God will give us other chances to witness for him.  He will be there for you whatever you need from him; God will provide.

Dear Father, we often miss chances to witness for you to bring your comfort to a hurting world. Give us the strength and the courage to speak your love and grace to those around us who are most in need of it. Guide us by your Spirit. In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret

1-1-2022

 Good Morning All,

          Isaiah 26:9; “My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.”

    Did you ever watch a scary movie or read a scary book when you were a child? How did it go? I remember the first couple of times I watched a scary movie; it was a Vincent Price one and I did not turn the lights off for two nights. Every noise made me jump. It is funny how the night makes our fears alive. Here, in the wintertime, a forced air furnace house will creak and crack each time the furnace kicks on. During the daytime, we hardly notice, but at night; it sounds like footsteps in the hall: it could be an axe murderer!!

     The night always brings about our greatest fears. The sounds we hear but we do not know what made them; we cannot see them and make us wonder what is out there. This is part of the reason why the Bible always equates God with light and the devil with darkness. It is an analogy which we readily understand. We can get lost in the dark, very easily, and the darkness heightens our sense of loneliness. It is at night that we often struggle the most.

     It is at night that the “worries” strike with a vengeance. How do we pay all these bills? Why is my child struggling in school all of a sudden?  How do we fix the car right now? What will I do if we do not get any more moisture this year than last? Why doesn’t my spouse love me like they used to? My health, my parent’s health, my spouse’s health just is not what it should be. When the “worries” start, especially at night, the devil and our old sinful nature loves to attack.

     One thing about the devil, he knows no mercy, nor does he ever show any. He sticks the knife in, twists it about, pours salt on the wound and then he starts all over again. This is what Isaiah was experiencing when he wrote our verse. He was prophesying the exile of Israel and was envisioning the destruction of the city he loved, the death of many of the people he knew and the forced slavery of the rest. He saw the pain, but he also saw the better truth that God was there to rescue them.

     God is here to rescue you as well. He comes to you in his Word, and he listens to you in your prayers. The Spirit will cause us to remember all the things which Jesus said to us. This is part of the reason reading the Bible regularly is so helpful. The Holy Spirit uses those special passages to bring us comfort and to remind us of where our hope comes from. God encourages us to pray so that we can express our fears and our desires. So when we face those nights or days filled with the “worries” take a few minutes and yearn for God in the night.  Look to him for your comfort and hope; do not look to our own strength or any other worldly support. Any other support will only fail. Only God, whose love and mercy exceeds our every need can keep us safe and give us peace.

Dear Father, we yearn for your Holy Spirit to comfort us and give us peace. Keep us secure in your arms and give to us your peaceful rest which only you can deliver. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret