Friday, December 19, 2008

Psalm 112:7

Psalm 112:7 He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. (KJV)
He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. (NIV)

Have you received bad news lately? I wouldn’t be surprised if you had. It seems that often around the holidays, some tragedy, illness, or other bad things seem to show up. For the believer bad news may still be bad, but there is a source of comfort in our Heavenly Father.

Just this past week, I went to the funeral home for a friend who just lost a year-long battle with cancer. I found out just a few hours ago, that another friend was losing her aunt, her oldest son was found to be a diabetic and her youngest son’s fiancĂ© needed to be operated on for a brain tumor. My daughter-in-law’s grandfather is dying and experiencing great suffering. Two good friends have multiple health problems and another began treatments for cancer this week. Yes, there is a lot of bad news around.

It seems Satan uses this time of year – the season we celebrate our Lord’s birth – to try to get us to lose our faith and trust in God. And, sadly, many times, it works! Our verse for this week, however, tells us that “He (the one who fears the Lord and delights in his commandments) will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.” The Christian remains faithful and confidant in the Almighty God. He remembers that God knows what is best for each of us, even if we can’t understand what that is. Just today I read a story of a child that had died. Of course his mother was devastated. The story says the child wrote his mother a letter from Heaven and explained how wonderful it was there and how God couldn’t let him go on in the pain he’d been experiencing.

It’s true – bad news is never easy to hear. But we must remember, God is in control and He can be trusted. We can rely on Him for comfort and assurance that He has our best interests at heart. As Christians, we must remain faithful, even in the hard times. Is your heart steadfast? Is it fixed, trusting in the Lord? If so, you will experience God’s help even when you experience bad news.

Have a blessed Christmas, serving our Saviour!
Rhonda

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (KJV)
For the wages of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (New Living Trans.)

Once again it’s the season of giving. Only this year, giving is a little harder for most families because of the sluggish economy. That’s why my daughter-in-law insisted on shopping on Black Friday this year. She wanted to take advantage of any sales, so that she would be able to give to her family at Christmas this year.

But the reason why we have this season of giving is because God, first, gave His Son for us that we might live eternally in Heaven with Him. The apostle Paul in our verse for this week says we have a choice to make. We can either choose to serve sin with its temporary pleasures and earn eternal death or choose to serve God by accepting the gift of His Son and then receiving the reward of eternal life in Heaven. Notice, the reward of Heaven is a gift; we cannot earn our way into life eternal.

Part of the commentary for this verse in my New Living Translation Bible has this to say: “Consider the foolishness of someone who receives a gift given out of love and then offers to pay for it. A gift cannot be purchased by the recipient. A more appropriate response to a loved one who offers a gift is graceful acceptance with gratitude. Our salvation is a gift of God, not something of our own doing (Eph. 2:8, 9). He saved us because of his mercy, not because of any good things that we have done (Titus 3:5). How much more we should accept with thanksgiving the gift that God has freely given to us.”

At this time of giving and thanksgiving, choose to serve God and accept His free gift of salvation. We don’t have to worry about paying for it, but we certainly should show our gratitude to Him for this most expensive of all gifts ever given. Let’s be thankful for the gift of God’s Son who sets us free from sin and gives us eternal life in Heaven.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Luke 15:10

Luke 15:10 Likewise, I say unto you, that there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth. (KJV)

In the same way, I tell you there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. (NIV)

My husband, Pastor Rob, is notorious for putting things down and not remembering where he has laid them. Not knowing where his keys might be on any given day is probably his most frequent problem. Most days the keys are found pretty easily. However, there have been times when an all out search by everyone in the house has been needed. Sometimes he even has to borrow my keys until his shows up. You can imagine how happy he is when he finally finds his own keys. Everyone in the house is happy, too.

In our verse for this week, Jesus has told a parable of a woman who has lost one of her silver coins. She searches and cleans her house until she finds it and then calls in her neighbors and friends to celebrate with her in finding the coin. Jesus then says that “in the same way, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” I wonder what it was like in heaven when I repented and was saved from God’s wrath. I like to think that maybe there will be an “instant replay” of my salvation experience when I get to heaven, so I will know.

I remember about ten years ago now, learning about a salvation experience of a co-worker of mine. We had had summer vacation and during those first few days back when we were setting up our rooms, I met Pam in the hallway. The first thing she said to me was, “Rhonda, I found the Lord this summer!” I remember wrapping my arms around her and saying something like, “Praise the Lord, Pam! I am so happy for you!” Pam knew we had been praying for her and that made the experience even sweeter. Pam has since passed on and is now enjoying the rewards of heaven.

We experience joy here on earth when someone comes to know Christ as Savior. I’ve had several other similar experiences like the one with Pam, but not nearly enough of them. There are so many people out there who are lost! What am I doing to try to reach them? What are you doing to try to reach them? I’m happy when Rob finds his keys, but I experience true joy, and so will you when we share in helping someone to find Jesus as their Savior. Do you know Him?

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Psalm 19:14

Psalm 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord, my Strength and my Redeemer. (KJV)

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (NIV)

The other day I was just outside the church in the parking lot and someone was saying something that must have been of questionable concern, because I then heard someone else say very clearly, “You shouldn’t say something like that when you are at church.” I wondered why someone would even bother to think like that when our God knows everything we say, do, or even think.

Imagine for a moment being Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden just after they had eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It says in Genesis 3 that after they had eaten that they were ashamed and made clothes for themselves. They then tried to hide from God! Imagine trying to hide from Almighty God – their Creator! It is almost comical to think of Adam and Eve trying to hide from God.

Our verse for this week is a favorite of mine. In fact I use it as a closing prayer for my Sunday School class each week . I think the message it tells us is to remember that God is ever present with us and our thoughts and words should strive to please him. After all he sees and knows everything we do, say or think. God is our strength, and he is our Redeemer. He gets us through the tough times if we allow Him to intervene in our lives. Our words should honor him; our thoughts should be pure, and everything we do should glorify him. That’s why this verse makes a good prayer of commitment.

Don’t kid yourself! God, the Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe, knows all about you and yet still loves you. Honor and glorify Him in all you think, say or do.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

I Thessalonians 4:16-17

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (17) Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (KJV)

Today I went to a funeral for a man who two weeks ago was enjoying a cruise to Alaska. As he returned from his trip, he became ill and ultimately went home to be with the Lord. Also two weeks ago, today, we, as most of you may know, enjoyed a marriage feast for my son, Paul. As it happen ed Paul was married on August 15th, an already important day in our family. Paul’s grandfather Wills who passed away in 1994 was born on that date and it was also the birth date for his great grandmother Schultz who passed away in 1959.

You may be wondering how all of this is related. The man whose funeral we attended today and Paul’s grandfather and great grandmother were all Christians. I was thinking about the joy at Paul’s marriage and also about the joy we will experience when Christ comes to get his bride, the church. Our verses for this week talk about this coming marriage of Christ and how he will come to get all of us who are Christians and have been born again. This means those that are “dead in Christ” – those who have died physically, will rise from their graves to meet the Lord in the air and then those Christians who are still alive will also be caught up into the air to meet our Lord. =2 0We –all Christians – are Christ’s bride and one day he will come back to get all of us, whether we are dead or alive.

We had a great time at my son’s wedding, but the wedding of Christ and his bride will be even greater. The only point yet to make is this; those mentioned above who have died were ready spiritually to be taken from this earth. Some were taken very unexpectedly and quickly. None of us who remain know how much longer we will live this earthly life. Perhaps we will live to be one hundred; perhaps we will die tonight in our sleep.

We must be ready to leave this life at any time. Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? Have you experienced His forgiveness? Are you looking forward to Christ’s return to receive His bride? I hope you can answer “yes” to each of these questions. You are invited to the marriage feast in Heaven. Don’t miss the celebration!

Friday, August 22, 2008

I Peter 2:21

For even here unto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: (KJV)

To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. (NIV)

Have you ever seen a chameleon in action? I’ve never actually seen one change its color to match its surroundings right before my ey es, but I am reminded of them every time I see my granddaughter copy whatever her older brother does – and that’s been quite often lately. But then I also saw a young teenager do almost the same thing when she attempted to copy the actions of an older, more popular teen. Come to think of it, we adults often do it too. We copy what other more respected or popular people do, so we can fit in with the socially accepted crowd. We are being human chameleons!

Our verse for this week seems to indicate to me that being a human chameleon might be acceptable to God. That is, of course, if we follow or copy the right person. Our verse tells us to follow the example of Christ.

Several years ago now, there was a popular slogan with the Christian crowd. It was: "What Would Jesus Do? (WWJD) The slogan asked you to question your actions by first asking yourself what Jesus would do if he were in the same situation as you. Even prior to the popularity of that slogan, there was a book by Charles Sheldon entitled, In His Steps, that was very popular as well. The book gave examples of people trying to do things that Jesus had done. Both this book and the popular slogan encourage us to copy Jesus. He is our best example. We should be chameleons of Him.

I don’t think I can do much about the copying my granddaughter does of her brother, or even much about what teens or adults copy of another’s behavior. But I can work on my own life and ask God to help me be more like Jesus. How about you? Are you a chameleon? Whose example do you follow?

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Jonah 4:2

And he prayed unto the Lord, and, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country? Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil. (KJV)

So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish? I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. I knew how easily you could cancel your plans for destroying these people. (NLT)

Have you ever said or thought, “Boy, it serves him right! He’s just getting what he deserves!” It’s tempting to say that of someone who has committed some terrible crime or atrocity. It might be easy to say that of someone who cuts you off in traffic and is later involved in an accident or is seen getting a traffic ticket. It might even occur to us if we see an unruly child being punished. It is certainly the way Jonah thought about God’s threatened punishment for the city of Nineveh found in our verse for this week.

Jonah was sent to tell the evil city of Nineveh that they must repent of their evil ways and turn to God or God would destroy their city. Jonah didn’t want to go, so he ran in the opposite direction to the city of Tarshish. Jonah ended up in the belly of a great fish because he had tried to run from God. But when Jonah repented and decided to do things God’s way, God was merciful to him and gave him a second chance. Jonah went to Nineveh, delivered the message and then sat a safe distance from the city to watch God destroy the Ninevites and their city.

When the people of Nineveh repented as a result of Jonah’s message, God forgave them and gave them a second chance, as he had given Jonah. The city was spared, but Jonah wasn’t happy. He thought the city should have been destroyed as God had said it would. But God was merciful once again. Jonah knew that God was a gracious and merciful God; that he was slow to anger and filled with unfailing love. Jonah wanted God’s forgiveness and kindness for himself, but not for the Ninevites.

How often do we consider ourselves better or more deserving of God’s kindness than we feel that others deserve? It’s good that God is no respecter of persons. He loves all of us and doesn’t want any of us to perish. We often cry or become upset over little things – like a broken heirloom or losing money in a business deal. But do we cry or become upset over someone who is lost and not on the path to Heaven? Or, because they have done something evil, do we desire for them to get what they deserve? What if God gave each of us what we truly deserve? I’m afraid Heaven would be a very empty place. Praise God for the gift of His Son that we might have eternal life in Heaven and not get what we truly deserve!

Monday, July 21, 2008

I John 4:10

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (KJV)

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (NIV)

I have been a substitute teacher for four years now, since I retired from being a public school teacher. During the last few months of the year and usually around Christmas, are when I get the most requests to substitute. I like to think I do a good job, and that is why they call me back so often. But I know that in most people’s minds, the substitute is usually very inferior to the regular teacher. I know I often thought that way when I was teaching and had to get a substitute.

So what does being a substitute have to do with our verse for this week? As a teenager, I had trouble understanding the big word “propitiation” in this verse. I was told that it meant “substitute.” Jesus was our substitute and took the penalty for us. That seemed to make sense for me at the time, but now I realize that “substitute” is not a strong enough word. Jesus did indeed take our place on that cross, but we could have never paid the penalty in full for ourselves – only Jesus could do that. He is more than an excellent substitute. He is our Master Teacher and our Lord and Saviour. He is our Rescuer! Our Redeemer!

Jesus is our Rescuer because he loves us. He wants us to be with Him in Paradise. That wasn’t going to happen unless the perfect Son of God became a human man and took the punishment each of us deserved. Yes, he was a kind of substitute, but more than that. Thank you Jesus for dying in my place, so I could live with you in eternity!