Month: November 2018

A Time to Love

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And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13

“On the night when He was betrayed” is always how our pastor opens the communion portion of our worship service. On that night Jesus gave the cup, broke the bread and washed the disciples’ feet. On that night He sang a hymn with them and prayed in the garden. On that night he was kissed by Judas, arrested by the soldiers and betrayed by Peter. Yes on that night of nights in that darkest of darkness Jesus suffered long and was kind. He did not envy others but rather He let go of His rights, His position and His life.

Though we feel it is weakness allow even a single insult to pass without defending ourselves He remained silent as a lamb at shearing time. When our own small love is washed out to sea His love stands forever and receives all who come till time stands no longer!

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Wonderful Merciful Savior

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And yet again another shooting in our nation. I cannot bear to read the news and hear more angry arguments on rights, laws or political solutions. My heart is aching for our people. Only God who holds both the hearts of kings and the lowly in His Almighty hands can help. I have always loved this song by Selah. Of all the music they have given us this is by far their best and most enduring. May this song be  a comfort to you. May our hearts cry to our wonderful, merciful Savior. Without Him we have hopelessly lost our way.

Stretch out Your Hand

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Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Exodus 14:21-22

In our walk of grace we sometimes begin to think that since nothing happens without God’s approval and that everything comes to us by grace that we have no role whatsoever in God’s plan. Nothing in the Bible however gives us any indication that such thinking is accurate. All of the heroes of faith listed in Hebrews chapter eleven are inked to action! Abel offered a sacrifice, Noah built an ark, and Abraham left his native land. Moses was hidden by his parents and Rahab protected the spies. Not only these brave men and women but in fact all of us who belong to God’s family have a distinct, active and essential role to play. Notice the order of the verses we are reading in Exodus: Moses stretched out his hand, and then the Lord drove back the sea. The people of Israel passed through the sea then God closed the waters over their enemies. The staff Moses carried wasn’t some mystical gift from an angel or a golden scepter which he had taken from Egypt. Moses’ staff was simply the tool of his shepherding work. When the people of Moses’ time saw the staff Moses lifted up they didn’t think of it as something quaint or impressive in any way. The fact that God chose to honor his simple obedience had nothing to do with the staff and everything to do with the humility of surrender. What are the tools of your own daily life? Whether you carry a chain saw or a laptop to work, God can choose to use anything you surrender to his command. Stretch out your hand! God is waiting on our faith made visible by our obedience to His Word!