Month: June 2019

I received a question via text, that asked, “If someone rejects God’s love when they’re young, is the door closed for them, or is it possible for God, through the Holy Spirit, to draw them again?”  An excellent question!

This past Sunday we concluded the series on David’s life by looking at the passing of the torch to Solomon (1 Chronicles).  At one point in David’s address he says something troubling, ESPECIALLY to those of us with wayward family members! 

“If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”  (1 Chronicles 28:9b)

As much “fun” as it might be to try to demonstrate “seeking and forsaking” by comparing and contrasting David, Saul, and Solomon, we live in the Church Age so we really ought to see what Jesus had to say.  He, through the Apostle John, reminds us that we are all under judgment until that moment of faith. “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18)  So the rejector, the denier, and the unbeliever are all in the same camp until they believe – the same camp, incidentally, as the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-31).  I believe rejection of Christ only becomes eternally fatal upon death. So keep praying, keep loving, and keep sharing the faith!

Pastor Scott

Earlier this week, in preparation for another study, I was looking at Revelation 4:11 (Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.)  Which clearly states that we were created by God’s will or, “for His Pleasure.”  Revelation 4:11 brought to mind the “worthiness language” applied to the Son in chapter five.

And they sang a new song, saying,

“Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

“You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

And I realized, that even at the end of ages we will be Praising God for His double ownership of our lives.  He both made us and He bought us back!  I, for one, want to start living that life of purpose fulfilling gratitude BEFORE I get to heaven.  You?

Pastor Scott

This next Sunday we’ll be looking at David’s out-pouring of praise and thanksgiving in 2 Samuel 22.  I ran across a poignant little story that well illustrates a point a want to make on Sunday about verse 29 and the limits of lamp light on a long dark path (the point I’m going for in this illustration is NOT the self-reliance piece)

When a person is suddenly alone, often panic and fear come.  I distinctly remember my mother saying to me after my father’s death, “I cannot go on without him.  I depended on him for everything.”  My mother believed that, but she did go on without him.  In fact, she lived twenty-five wonderful years after my father died.  I remember that one of the things that bothered my mother was that she could not drive a car.  She learned that she could live without driving a car.  I feel that the most creative years of my mother’s life were the years when she was forced to depend on herself.  She had her anxious moments, but somewhere along the way she learned the old expression, “Life by the yard is hard, life by the inch is a cinch.”  Charles Allen, You are Never Alone (Old Tappan, New Jersey, Fleming H. Revel, 1978), 88.

So if we find ourselves twisted up with worry – or to sticking with the analogy – if we keep tripping up – perhaps we’re trying to look too far into the future, while God is only shedding light on our next steps! 

I understand this is the wettest Spring we’ve had since records have been kept.  It’s certainly been hard to keep the grass cut and the rivers and streams are all well past “flood stage!  I’m sure I’m not the only one who has seen some dramatic footage.

I saw one water rescue in Iowa (or maybe Nebraska) caught on a cell phone where passersby were trying to get a family out a car that had started to float away.  The thing that was striking is that they instinctively tied themselves, with whatever they could find, to higher; firmer ground.  As they got the last passenger out, the car swished away, but the passenger was reeled in safely, because the human chain was anchored to an old oak with deep roots.

Chances are I’ll never be floating down a churning river in a car with my family; but my soul encounters churning waters from day to day.  How about yours?  The cool thing is as believers our souls are anchored to roots WAY deeper than an oak’s!

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.  (Hebrews 6:19-20)

The “Presence” behind the veil is YHWH Himself and through His death, Jesus anchored us in Him.  That’s true weather we “feel” it or not.  So next time the waters churn I can act like the baby who doesn’t trust his daddy in the pool and cry and carry on as if He’s going to drop me; or I can relax and rejoice that He’s got this!

Pastor Scott