Posts Tagged ‘Sunday rest and reflection’
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this Sunday, July 4th! What a day to celebrate freedom in Jesus Christ! It is not only our nation’s birthday, but it is another celebration of the resurrection of the King of Kings! Now that’s something to get excited about! Jesus Christ is alive and our gathering together to Him could happen at any time. That’s when the real fireworks starts! A flash of lightening will light up the sky from east to west and the trumpet will sound and graves will be opened! We who are alive and remain, will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air! We shall ever be with Him!
We celebrate our freedom today to worship in the church of our choice. Many countries do not have religious freedom but we are blessed by God to have no fear when we gather to praise our Lord. We are free to choose where and when and how we worship. This is a blessing to have choices and to be able to follow our hearts. We must be careful not to let our freedom become license to neglect the Lord and gathering with His people. Many have taken that route to their own destruction!
We celebrate God, Himself! Our awesome God is the King of Kings! He has forgiven us our sins and healed our diseases. He has redeemed our life from the pit and from destruction. He is a Father who has compassion on His children and is loving and merciful toward all He has made! He is our refuge in time of trouble and He protects us from all our enemies. He rules the universe in justice and truth, having all power and authority. He has promised us eternal life with Him and joy unspeakable as we dwell in His glory! What a celebration we can have today!
May the love of the Father and of Jesus Christ and the precious Holy Spirit bring you a brilliant revelation of His goodness that lights up your soul with heavenly fireworks on this special day!
In His Love, Pastor John
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ! He is our great priest who is now interceding for us at the right hand of God our Father! A priest stands between God and man and mediates issues between them. He offers sacrifices and bridges the gap between them. Jesus is uniquely qualified to do this because of who He is!
As I reflect on this past week’s readings, I am drawn to Psalm 110. Psalm 110 is quoted seven times in the New Testament and was used by Jesus to silence the religious leaders who were trying to trap him. (Matthew 22:44-46) The writer of Hebrews wrote extensively about Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High to whom Abraham paid a tithe of the spoils of Sodom. (Genesis 14:18-20)(Hebrews 7) Melchizedek was the king of Salem, the earlier name for the city of Jerusalem. He was also a priest of God Most High. He is unique in Jewish history, because there is no record of his birth or death. He appears and then is not mentioned again until Psalm 110 as being a priest of a special order.
Jesus Christ is a priest of this order! He is holy and blameless, set apart for God. He is King and will rule the earth from Jerusalem one day. He is declared a priest by God’s oath, not by the law: “The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind; ‘You are a priest forever.’” (Psalm 110:4) He doesn’t need to offer sacrifices for us, His people, day after day because He offered Himself for us once for all! (Hebrews 7:26-28) He ever lives to intercede for us and is the Son of God, made perfect forever!
That’s who we worship and why we gather each week on the first day! We celebrate our great priest who is King forever! We honor Him who sacrificed His own body and blood for us! We pray and give ourselves to do His work! What an honor to serve our King!
In His Love, Pastor John
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this wonderful day of rest and reflection! What a day to gather with God’s people and celebrate God’s awesome presence, our salvation, and the coming rapture! The trumpet will sound and God’s people will be caught up to meet Him in the air, and thus we will ever be with the Lord. These are comforting words! We should always remember them when we gather with God’s people!
Today, I am thinking about another reason to gather together with each other. Psalm 78:1-8 tells of passing our values and knowledge of God on to the next generation. Faith is always only a generation away from extinction! If we fail to pass the baton of faith to the next generation, who will pass it to our children? How will they know of God’s power, His wonders, and His mighty acts of deliverance? How will they have faith to live a life pleasing to God?
God’s people have often neglected to pass on values and God’s law to their children. The results were always devastating! Sin leads to death and misery, no other destination! I have observed that faithful church attendance is a good way to pass values on to the next generation. That must be coupled with a life that is lived consistently day by day in the power of the Holy Spirit. God promises to be present with us and help us to live consistently.
We must remember that our flesh tends to be stubborn and rebellious. It is easy to make excuses and neglect the discipline of weekly church attendance, daily devotions and Bible reading. We get so busy that our priorities are out of order. The enemy of our soul also works to keep us from doing those things that promote spiritual health and the passing of values to our children. He is always out to disrupt that process because he wants to destroy our offspring.
Why not make some new priorities today to regular church attendance and consistent living? The purpose of that is your own spiritual health and the passing of values to the next generation. God will honor this and work with you. You and your offspring will be blessed by your decision!
In His Love, Pastor John
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this Lord’s day, a day of celebration and rejoicing in our glorious King who is coming soon and suddenly for His Bride! The Church is preparing for the greatest day in all of its history! She is putting on spotless garments of Christ’s righteousness and preparing for the trumpet call that will come at an hour unexpected by the lost world. The Bride will be taken to the wedding supper and will experience joy unspeakable and full of Glory as they see Jesus Christ face to face! Oh, what a day that will be!
As I reflect on the readings of this last week, Psalm 49 draws my attention on this day of rest. The psalmist was reflecting on the rich and famous who trusted in their riches rather than in God. When death came to them, whatever wealth or possessions that they had went to others. (Psalm 49:10-11) The man who trusted in himself, his riches and fame had no real hope. They are destined for the grave and destruction. The psalmist spoke of death as “feeding on them”. (Psalm 49:14)
But the psalmist trusted in God. He knew that money could not buy his soul or ransom him from destruction. He trusted in God to redeem him from the grave and death. (Psalm 49:14-15) In fact, the godly will rule over the wicked in the morning of resurrection. The psalmist had resurrection faith and trusted in the mercy and grace of God to redeem him!
Many today live as if money and fame are the main points of life. They neglect God and His people. They make light of His laws and commands to love and worship Him and to love others. They run after the rich and famous and heartily approve of their sayings, even though they are ungodly and vile in God’s sight. The psalmist had a deep understanding of the end of all men. Those who lived for themselves would utterly perish. Those who lived for God would rule in the end forever!
Ask God to give you a clear picture of these truths today as you choose to worship Him and give yourself to obey His Word! The rewards are truly out of this world!
In His Love, Pastor John
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this wonderful day of rest! We rest in the love and grace of a Savior who died for us and rose again to demonstrate His victory over death! We rest in His protective covering against our enemies and His justice. All who have trusted in Him receive mercy and forgiveness of sin and its penalty. All who are evil will be punished and we will be forever free from the enemy of our soul, Satan and his demons. We rest in His promise of eternal life in a glorified body and will live forever in His presence! What joy and reason to worship!
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” (Psalm 8:1) The Lord of heaven is our Lord! A personal relationship with Him is found in His Son, Jesus Christ! (Psalm 2:7,12) God’s name is majestic, invoking worship and wonder! His glory is above all the wondrous and beautiful heavens!
“From the lips of children and infants, you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” (Psalm 8:2) Children and infants easily praise the Lord without inhibitions. Praise on our lips is fitting for God’s “children”. Through simple and sincere worship, the enemy of our soul is silenced! Satan’s lies and accusations cannot penetrate the connection between God and His praising children! This is one reason why it is so important to be in a worship service with God’s children today!
“When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:3-5) The vast size and majesty of creation makes man seem insignificant. However, God has created man in His image and likeness. He is crowned with glory and honor. Man has been assigned rulership and dominion over creation and has great responsibility under the Creator! Part of gathering with God’s people is to receive instructions for dominion and to enhance God’s image in us!
“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:9)
In His Love, Pastor John
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Glorious Name of Jesus Christ! The first day of the week was set aside by the early church to worship, because on that day Jesus Christ rose from the dead! The most significant truth and proof that Jesus is the Son of God was his powerful resurrection. That truth was verified by all the apostles and by over 500 who saw Him alive on one occasion. The apostles were so impressed and sure of the resurrection that they preached it and most of them gave their lives rather than deny it! Please gather with God’s people today and celebrate Jesus Christ as the resurrected Son of God!
As I reflect back on the reading for this past week, I am taken to Job’s reply to Bildad in Job 26. Bildad had told Job that man was no more than a maggot or worm and God was so great and powerful that man meant nothing to Him. Job responded with a description of God as the glorious creator of the universe and the one who hung the earth on nothing. God is the creator and creation reveals a God of power and thoughtful care for that creation. Reflecting on creation helps us know about God, but Job felt that what he learned from creation was “but the outer fringe of His works.” (Job 26:14) Creation was a “faint whisper” of God compared to all there was to know and understand. Job longed for a deeper understanding.
Job likened the search for God as men searching the depths of the earth for gold or silver or other precious metals. But God’s wisdom cannot be found by man in all his puny efforts. It can’t be bought with anything on earth. Job came to the conclusion that the fear of the Lord was wisdom and to shun evil was understanding! (Job 28:28) Faith has its foundation in the fear of the Lord. A humble respect for the God of creation brings true wisdom. From exploring the outer fringes of God through creation, God comes to Job (and us) with revelation and faith opens our inner eyes to see Him! Our redeemer lives! Resurrection life will be glorious! Though He slay me yet will I trust Him! He has become my salvation!
In His Love, Pastor John
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Glorious Name of Jesus! It is such a joy to be able to be in God’s house with God’s people to worship the one who willingly gave His life for us! No one has to force me to go to church; I delight to do that! It’s not just because I am a pastor either, for I would do this regardless! It isn’t a sacrifice; it is a great privilege and also a sacred responsibility. My wife and children are watching me. They are looking at my life and my leadership. They are learning by my example. My friends and neighbors are also watching. More than any of these, God, Himself is watching and knows my heart!
Esther was part of the Jewish nation in captivity. She was placed in the King’s palace in a foreign land and when one of the King’s officials plotted the murder of all Jews, she had a decision to make. It could have cost her life and position, but she fasted and made the necessary sacrifice willingly. (Esther 4:16) The end result was the saving of her people from execution. (Esther 9:22)
Job was a great man from the East who trusted in God. He willingly made sacrifices for his children each day to intercede for their souls. (Job 1:5) They were all killed in a sudden storm, but the end of Job tells of a double return for Job in everything he lost. He had ten more children, but the implication is that the other ten would be seen again in heaven! (Job 42:10-13)
As you join today with God’s people, willingly give yourself and your tithes and offerings to see God’s saving grace in your family and nation! Eternity will reveal the great rewards!
In His Love, Pastor John
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this first day of a new week! It is a joyful day to praise our Lord and gather with God’s people. We gather to worship, honor God and read His word. We study and pray together as those being equipped for a battle with the forces of darkness to deliver the souls of men from their clutches. We join our church family and others around the world in every time zone who gather to praise His name. From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same, His name is praised!
God’s people are marked with joy. We are filled with joy because we know God as our father and Jesus Christ as our savior. We know that we are forgiven by God’s grace and free from condemnation. God doesn’t even remember our sins that we have confessed to Him. We know that we have a future and hope in God that far exceeds our understanding or imagination. Death is no longer an enemy to be feared, but is a doorway to God’s presence and a glorious future.
The people of Nehemiah’s day heard the word of God read by Ezra and taught by the Levites. When they understood it, some began to weep. Nehemiah encouraged them to enjoy the day and share choice food with others who had none, because that day was sacred to the Lord. The joy of the Lord was to be their strength! Let His joy fill your lives today as you listen to God’s word in the presence of His people! Rejoice in your God and Savior, Jesus Christ! He was filled with joy at the thought of seeing us in God’s presence and endured the cross and shame on our behalf! (Hebrews 12:2) May His joy be your strength!
In His Love, Pastor John
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Glorious Name of Jesus Christ! Another week begins with worship, prayer, and gathering with the people of God. I pray that you are motivated to gather today to worship! We need each other and God commands us to gather together, all the more as we see the day approaching of His sudden return. It could be today!
As we look back on the last week, I am impressed by the strength of Ezra and Nehemiah as leaders of God’s people. Their strength is evident in ways that men in our day would not easily relate to. Ezra was strong because he was a priest and student of God’s word. He studied and taught the law of God. He was a man of faith who lived by what he believed and this took him into a place of leadership. (Ezra 7:10,12) When you study God’s word and desire to apply it, God gives you wisdom and insight. He puts others of a like heart around you to accomplish His work. (Ezra 7:25-28) God gives you humility and courage to lead the people in repentance when there is a spiritual problem. Ezra’s holy fit took humility and courage to walk through! (Ezra 9:3-4)
Nehemiah was a man with a heart for God and for Jerusalem. His sensitive heart and willingness to fast and pray took him into a place of leadership he never expected. His life of prayer opened him to incredible opportunity to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the walls. His focus on God’s will and direction gave him courage to face opposition and succeed! His holy burden brought a miracle of restoration to Jerusalem and it’s discouraged people. The work of God was quickly accomplished to His glory!
As you gather today with God’s people, listen for the word of God to show you a holy burden. Begin to pray and seek the Lord, offering yourself to God. Watch and see what He will do! Praying leaders are what God is watching for! Have a great week in the Lord! In His Love, Pastor John
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this first Sunday in May! May brings the fullness of new life back to the earth and trees. Gardens are growing and the crops are beginning to cover the ground in fields. Planting of seeds and plants is done with the expectation of resurrection and the hope of a harvest. I trust you are with God’s people today giving extravagant worship to the Lord of Heaven and Earth who abundantly bestows these blessings on all people.
As I reflect on the readings of this past week, I again remember the cleansing of the temple by King Hezekiah as he began his reign. He sent the priests and Levites to consecrate the temple and themselves for service to the Lord. This process took 16 days as they removed idolatrous articles and re-consecrated and restored the sacred utensils that King Ahaz had removed in his wickedness. The idolatrous articles were taken to the Kidron valley and burned there. This is the place that in Scripture is likened to Hell.
After the cleansing of the temple and the offering of sacrifices by the leadership, there was great joy and rejoicing. God had enabled them to quickly be restored and His favor was evident among the priests and leaders. Hezekiah then invited all Israel and Judah to come to Jerusalem for the Passover. Hezekiah encouraged the people to return to the Lord and that the Lord would restore their children who had been taken captive. People came from all over and brought offerings and sacrifices. They celebrated the festival for seven days and then, because they were so blessed, celebrated for seven more days! (2nd Chronicles 30:21-23) The priests stood and blessed the people and God answered with more blessing!
After this revival of the Passover by Hezekiah, the people went home, tore down their idols and smashed their sacred stones. They took actions of faith because of the grace of God. They brought tithes and offerings and blessed the Lord to such an extent that there was an abundance for God’s house and the storerooms were full! (2nd Chronicles 31:6-10)
Revival here had two notable effects: removal of idols and consecration to the Lord by the priests and people, and extravagant giving by God through the grace of passover and by the people in response to this grace! I pray your Sunday was filled with both!
In His Love, Pastor John