From the Pastor

“TRUST GOD WITH THE IMPOSSIBLE”

2009-05-27T09:08:00.000-04:00

Someone has said “When God is going to do something wonderful He begins with a difficulty; if He is going to do something very wonderful, He begins with impossibility!” Great opportunities for growth and service often come veiled as impossibilities waiting to be unmasked by the superseding grace and power of God.

Nothing is impossible with God! The prophet Jeremiah wrote “Ah Lord God: Behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and Thine outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for Thee.” (Jer. 32:17) Jesus Himself said, “The things thought impossible with men are possible with God.”
(Luke 18:27)

One of the great tragedies of our spiritual or personal lives occurs when we fail to trust God with opportunities that are seemingly impossible. An excellent example of that is found in the Book of Numbers, chapters 13 and 14.

God spoke to Moses and told him to send men to search the land of Canaan, “which I give unto the children of Israel.” Moses sent them out and after 40 days they returned to report “We came into the land whither thou sendest us, and surely it floweth with milk and honey.” It was a land of abundant opportunity.

Their report was not finished, however, “The people be strong that dwell in the land, and the cities are walled, and very great….the people we saw are men of great stature….there we saw the giants.” And the congregation cried and wept all night and murmured against Moses and against Aaron and wished they were back in captivity in Egypt.

Caleb, one of the twelve spies, when he heard the report said “Let us go up at once and possess it.” And when Caleb and Joshua heard the cries of the people they spoke to them and said “The land which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. If the Lord delight in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it us.”

Caleb and Joshua agreed with the majority report as far as the fruitfulness of the land, the strength of the walled cities, and the size of the inhabitants, but they walked by faith and not by sight when they proclaimed “we are well able to overcome it….the Lord is with us, fear them not.” Because of their murmurings and rebellion, and because they walked by sight and not by faith, however, all the congregation over 20 years of age except Caleb and Joshua died in the wilderness and never knew the land of milk and honey.

When God swings doors of opportunity open for us He is also prepared to provide a way through them. Let me repeat what I have said so many times before: “Where God guides, He always provides.” Nothing is impossible with God – let’s walk by faith in Him.

“Got any rivers you think are uncrossable; Got any mountains you can’t tunnel through? God specialized in things tho’t impossible; He can do what no other power can do.”

FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

2009-05-09T04:04:00.000-04:00

When I was in college I sang a solo with the college choir that was based on the beautiful Twenty-seventh Psalm. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"

The Lord is the strength of my life! When I sang that Psalm as a college Freshman I didn't fully comprehend the reality and magnitude of God's strength. As the years have gone by, however, I have become more and more aware of the undergirding, empowering strength of the Lord in my life.

The strength my Lord gives through His grace equips me to do battle with the enemy of my soul and to face confidently the other problems of life as they come. It is only when we recognize our own weakness and insufficiency that we are able to rest in His strength and all sufficiency. The Lord reminded Paul, "My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness." (II Cor. 12:9)

So often we struggle through life carrying all of our burdens alone - discouraged, disillusioned, defeated. That reminds me of a story David S. McCarthy tells in "That Unforgettable Encounter."

A little boy was trying to carry a heavy rock to the opposite side of the yard. He would stagger a few steps, drop his load, then pick it up once more. It was obvious to his father, standing nearby, that the little fellow would never be able to maneuver the boulder to its destination. The father shouted, "Use all your strength, son, use all your strength." Dad was still urging the boy on when he dropped his load for the last time.

"I am using all my strength," he shouted back at his father.

"But you haven't asked for my help," replied the dad. You see, we never employ all the resources available to us until we ask the Lord to help us.

Quit struggling with your burdens alone. Seek the help and strength of the Lord.

FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

2009-05-02T06:45:00.000-04:00

A large supermarket chain in the mid-west experimented by removing candy from at least some of its checkout lanes. It seems that the idea got started when a mother complained that candy at the checkout counter was too great a temptation to her 2-year old son and he had stolen a candy bar and had begun to eat it before she could stop him. Other mothers joined the crusade, saying that the tempting candies, so close to the children when they were stopped to check out, caused too many family feuds. "Unless you wanted to hear tantrums and look like a terrible mom, you had to give them candy," said one mother.

While children face temptations when it comes to candy at the checkout line, we all face various temptations in our lives every day. The Christian, of course, is not exempt from those temptations. Paul, writing to the church at Corinth, reminds the Christians "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man." As long as Satan is alive he will be doing everything he can to trip us up or trap us. Satan's great goal is to defeat and bind man from serving God with his whole heart. His temptations are many, but he draws from the same large bag of tricks every time.

Paul goes on to tell the Corinthians, "God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it." (I Cor. 10:13)

I was amused at one woman who indicated she did not worry about the candy tempting her children when she was checking out because she buys her children bubble gum on the way into the store. That reminds me of many who handle temptation by simply giving in to it without a struggle.

There are at least three ways the Lord provides to give us victory over temptation. The first, in our war against the world, is our faith in Jesus Christ. When we love Jesus "this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." When we have a faith that makes Jesus real to us, then the world loses its allurement and power.

The second way we can handle temptation is by fleeing it. The scripture plainly warns us to "flee youthful lusts" and to "flee fornication." Joseph is an example of this way of handling the temptations of the flesh when he fled Potipher's wife. The way to escape the lusts of the flesh is to flee them, not fight them.

The way to deal with the infernal foe, the devil, however, is to fight. We are to wage a war against the devil. James reminds us to "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (4:7)

God's plan is to deliver us, not from, temptation, but through temptation. In addition, He provides the promise that, by His grace and through the power of His Holy Spirit, He will "provide a way out so we can stand up under it."

FROM THE PASTOR'S DESK

2009-04-23T16:22:00.000-04:00

A company's sales lagged so badly that the sales manager called in his men. He asked each one what the trouble was. Everyone spoke about difficulties being encountered and gave reasons why it was hard to make sales. Finally, the manager put up a large sheet of white paper. "What do you see?" he asked, pointing to the paper on the wall.

"A sheet of white paper", came the correct reply. Then the manager took a black ink marker and placed a small black dot in the exact center of the paper and asked, "Now what do you see?" "A black spot" called out every man in the room. "That's the trouble. I see a black dot too. But the moment one black dot appeared you fixed your attention on that and failed to see all the clean, white space. In your work, you are concentrating on a few difficulties and are failing to see the wide possibilities."

You and I are like that. When the black dots of difficulty appear in our lives, we instantly focus our attention and energies upon them and fail to see the great blessings, privileges, and opportunities that are ours.

Worry and frustration over the black dots drag us down and hinder us physically, spiritually, and emotionally. And when we focus on the problems and difficulties and let them defeat us, it is because that was our choice. We can choose to focus on the black dot or we can choose to be grateful for the wide and wonderful mercies, grace, and gifts of God.

This is what Paul was talking about to the Philippians when he wrote: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer, and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Have the black dots of difficulties and distress become the focus of your life? If so, take those problems to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to forgive you for not trusting Him with them earlier. Give Him thanks for all the wonderful and glorious things He had done and is doing, and for the great and positive opportunities that are before you.

When you do that, notice what God promises to do. "And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6-7)

Let's take our focus off the negatives and with a positive faith move forward in gratitude to God for His faithfulness and goodness to us all.