Word of God

Hope in His Word

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.  Psalm 130:5 KJV

When we were young many of us used to song: “The B-I-B-L-E, Yes! That’s the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God, The B-I-B-L-E!” Today as we are older, whether we are looking out the window of a nursing home or looking out the window at work or school we all sometimes wonder how we will make it.

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It is easier facing outward conflicts because at least we can see the enemy we are fighting. But when things seem dark and confusing on the inside then there are moments when we feel as if things are hopeless. God’s word gives us this promise from King David who found that his greatest enemies were bigger than the giant Goliath whom he had faced on the battlefield. David’s battle with sin, failure, and shame left him wondering how he could face his family, his friends and his responsibility as a leader and example for others.

At his darkest moment David remembers that the same God who had given him hope when he fought the giant with a sling had also promised him forgiveness and restoration when he had sinned. God’s word isn’t weakened by our failures, doubts or needs. There is no limit to how much God can restore and His promises are not a limited time offer. You haven’t missed your chance to ask God for His help.  Today is the perfect day in all eternity to put your hope in His word!

 

Critical Updates

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

Make me to know your ways, O Lord; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Psalm 25:5 ESV

Did you receive the warning to download the most recent critical updates to your windows operating system this week? If not be aware that you really do need to get that done. When I saw the alert, I confess that at first I simply hurried on hoping that nothing would go wrong. Impatience and procrastination teamed up to convince me that it couldn’t happen to me.  But in the back of my mind were those pesky memories of long hours struggling to extract malware, viruses and other assorted electronic ne’er do wells.

In the same way we need to pay attention when the Bible tells us to download God’s latest spiritual updates. Those updates come included in the new operating system for our lives called “The Word of God”.  Only our own personal daily Bible reading will safeguard our hearts and prepare us to face today’s battles.

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Photo by Marek Levak on Pexels.com

So when the malware of our old nature shows up in our minds and it must be overwritten by the update of His ways. The constant spiritual pressures will no more disappear from our Christian lives than spam from our e-mail accounts. But every day we can choose to patiently to download His updates before we continue on our walk with Him!

Don’t Be a Know It All!

/ pastorpete51 / Leave a comment

As I have gotten older my hearing has dimmed just a bit. When I am in a crowd or at a party sometimes all the talking sounds like the tide roaring in at the beach and I find myself  tuning out of conversations while I politely smile and nod. A more serious problem with growing older is that it seems easier and easier for me to ignore advice. “I’ve heard it all before!” I think about a large variety of things. Maybe part of the problem is linked to  information overload. I just can’t stand hearing another commercial about the latest diet, stress relief or vacation package. It is as if everyone is shouting and though their volume has increased, my hearing them has diminished.

But I begin to get into real trouble when that feeling of information overload begins to carry into my relationships. If before I  begin a conversations I start out by thinking “Oh I know they won’t agree so why ask.” or “Do I really want to go through hearing their opinion again?”

The danger is that if we allow  it, our ears will  grow callouses over them so thick we won’t even be able to hear when God speaks. Often when Jesus told stories he ran into people who just like myself had grown a bit dull of hearing. He had a short but important bit of advice for us all today.

And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”  Mark 4:9

Remember that God gave us ears for listening. Our greatest challenge isn’t in finding some miraculous means of hearing from God such as angels or visions. Our greatest challenge is to remember it is more important to listen to those close to us to tell us the truth. Often God uses them as His still small voice.  May we never be too old to listen to His advice!!

 

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