Flourishing in Christ

“Trees of Righteousness” Flourishing in Christ is a powerful statement! To Flourish has several meanings: Spiritually it means to develop a successful growth in the Lord, to be conspicuous, to shine!  A growth that proclaims Christ lives in us! We are not our own, but He is the Master of our Life. Scripture teaches Trees “flourish” – Grass withers! When one “flourishes” it is noticed! May we be noticed for our Spiritual condition is greater than, our physical condition or any negative characteristics that dwell in us. Christendom is fastly changing in our day as the Laws of our country seem to be defying God’s Law. As this occurs, the true meaning of living a life for Christ has dimmed in many areas of our society. Yet our Lord and Saviour remains the same, He never changes. We must “Flourish” in Christ so that others will see His righteousness in us. Righteousness simply means that we do the right thing. That we stand for right principles that we are not detoured by the “thoughts” of humanity, but we are focused on the Christ, which has Redeemed us.  I know that most of  you who read this column, are “Born again” saints, but we must stay focused on the Word of God and dwell in a realm of faith, trust, love, and right choices! As I focused on “Flourishing in Christ” I was immediately brought into the Word of God, what does it say about “Flourishing?”  The above Scripture in Ps. 92 gives us some thought: If we are to “Grow” like a cedar in Lebanon, surely someone who is not serving Christ will notice we are different. The Cedars of Lebanon were 100 feet tall with a circumference of about 40-50 feet. The Cedar’s fragrant wood was rot-resistant and knot-free, making it ideal for building purposes and greatly appreciated for its beauty. God is calling for “Trees of Righteousness” in this day.  His Word to us is found in: Isaiah 55:12 “For ye shall go out with Joy, and be led forth with Peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into Singing, and all the Trees of the field shall clap their hands.” We are His Trees of Righteousness! Loving you, Pastor

Guest Rev. Ron Breese

Oh Let Us come into the Lord’s House with Rejoicing for His Love is awesome, and His Grace in our Salvation!  We are a Blessed people! We are the Creation of God! In my devotions this week it seemed the Lord pointed out to me some special things regarding “Let Us!”  I loved the thought of the family of God being seen as “Us!” and what was the Lord saying concerning “Us?” You will surely find out in the Congregational Reading today! The family of God is His “Beloved!” When the family of God walks together in Peace and Harmony it is truly a great blessing of honor to Him. I am so thankful for everyone of you!  We are a Family and I always feel the support of our Church family. God’s Word encourages … Let us sing unto the Lord – Let us make a Joyful noise – O Let us come into His Presence together and Praise His Holy Name!  Let us be Thankful, Let us be glad to go into the House of the Lord. How awesome it is when we Magnify our Saviour and exalt His Name together! It is like the Psalmist said in 133; Worshiping together is like the “precious ointment that ran down upon Aaron the priest; It is as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the Blessing, even life for evermore!”  The longer I live the more I love our Lord! There’s a song that says: “The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows…” Isn’t that the truth! Over and over the Lord is at our side, molding us, shaping us, bringing us into His image.  Sometimes it’s painful, sometimes it’s glorious, for sure it is always necessary for our Spiritual growth. Soooo… “Let Us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  As we have therefore the opportunity, Let Us do good unto all, especially unto them who are of the house hold of Faith.” Today I leave you with this powerful thought from Jeremiah 31:6-7 “For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and Let Us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God. For thus saith the Lord; Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the Chief of the Nations: publish ye, Praise ye, and say, O Lord, Save Thy people, the remnant of Israel.” Let us lift up our heads for our Redemption draweth nigh! Loving you, Pastor

In God We Trust

Once again we celebrate the Freedom of our Country!  July 4^th is a day that no one ever forgets! A day of great liberty for our Country. Yet the forces of darkness have set themselves to destroy the Works of God, the Creator of this Nation. I placed an article last week in the Bulletin called “Repairing The Nations,” which is a project of the American Family Association and comes with an urgent Call! Will God’s people take a moment to bend a knee in humility to Pray for our Nation?  All across the Land the Cry is going forth; “Christians come to God on your knees in Repentant Prayer for a Nation that is quickly falling into gross corruption.” The “Call2fall” is here, it is the 1^st day of July, let us come to the Altar and reaffirm that our “Declaration of Dependence” and our Trust is in our God who will make His Country Great Again!  Does America truly believe in their voice, that says: “One Nation Under God!”  I think of the multitude of times that God and Trust are in the Lord’s Word! God is speaking to us concerning our Trust in Him. In just a few minutes I have passed through 10 verses of Scripture in the Psalms relating to our Trust in God.  As Christians it is part of our thought-life to Trust in God, but as I have noted in my own life, in the midst of crisis we really have to bear down in our heart and reach for our Trust in God!  Consider the meaning of Trust! “Firm belief in the reliability, truth and strength of someone! ”That someone is a Divine Being who created us! Can we accept this explanation of Trust for our Country? Will America place a firm belief in our Creator? Think about how important our money is to us, of course we don’t “love” it, but it is an important commodity, a value to us. And on that penny, it reads “In God We Trust! I have to smile; it is on a penny [and all monies]. When we are somewhat desperate, or have a ‘penny to our name’, it is then that we “Trust in God!” But how awesome it would be, if our thoughts were always focused on our Trust in God, just as an animated through running through our life daily. Even when David, the man whom God Loved greatly, his life was being pursued by the enemy, he penned a song of Trust. Ps. 40:3 “He hath put a new song in my mouth, even Praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.” O let the Church continue strong in their Trust of our God! Trusting God & Loving you, Pastor