God's Precious Things

In my Prayer time I heard the Lord say to me, what is Precious to you?  As you know the theme for this year is to “Rejoice in the Lord!” So as I was verging on thinking negative, this was the response of the Lord to me.  So let’s see in Scripture what is the Precious things to the Lord. It is interesting to see the explanation of Precious. -- Precious deals with price, something of great value, a high price, something highly esteemed or cherished!  When we say to our child or grandchild, “you are so precious” – they really are not understanding the value you are placing on them. For to call someone or something Precious you are extremely highly esteeming them. God uses this term quite a few times in Scripture. He values creation as He talks of the ‘Precious things of heaven, the Precious fruit of the sun and moon, the Precious mountains and hills, the Precious things of the earth! God relates to the rivers, the rocks and states’ and “His eye seeth every Precious thing!” A great blessing to us, is: He keeps watch over us, we are one of those Precious things!  It would be good for us to place a great value on these things that are so often taken for granted. We don’t like to talk of death usually, but God sees it as, and I quote, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Jesus is of great value and Precious to Father God.  Scripture declares: “Ye know that ye were not Redeemed with corruptible things, but with the Precious Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot.” It is so wonderful to know that we have been given “exceeding great and Precious Promises, that by these we might be partakers of His Divine nature, escaping the corruption of the world.” And then there is that Precious “Joy unspeakable” that comes with the trial of our Faith!  The song erupts in my heart:  “O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow, no other fount I know, Nothing but the Blood of Jesus! Every one of you are Precious to me!  Love Always, Pastor

Rejoice Always

As I began my Prayer for the first sermons of this New Year … My thoughts wondered through the Scriptures. This is most usual, each year, meditating upon what will stir our heart to glorify the Lord more, for I know we must grow in our relationship with Jesus. The Passage of Scripture that invaded my mind came out of our Advent, the first Message concerning Jesus in the New Testament; The angel brought this Message to the Shepherds, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great Joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. [Luke 2:10-11].  As I thought on this first audible Message of our Saviour straight from heaven and being given to the Shepherds – they were told of Great Joy!  Sometimes we have Joy, but Great Joy?  Such Joy overrides Fear and this Joy dwells in our Salvation!  Now I feel the Holy Spirit nudges me to pursue our response to this Holy and Powerful Message of the Angels.  I begin to see that Great Joy comes out of Rejoicing and Rejoicing Always, in all circumstances! It took a little time to meditate upon being Joyful Always! My mind wondered, Joyful in every circumstance?  The greatest example of this Joy would be when Scripture reveals that Jesus saw the cross and suffering as a Joy that set before Him.  Well as I embarked upon this thought of Rejoice Always and this message began to take shape… my car got very sick, the lift in the house that carried me to the lower apartment decided to also be sick. I use the term sick as I smile to see the circumstances arise for me to practice this Message. Yes, we must practice God’s Word!  Rejoicing in the harsh circumstances takes the edge off the devil’s plan and gives us the victory!  Such trials are seasons when we exercise our Faith and we grow stronger in our Christian life. And somehow I think Rejoicing prepares us for the Coming of our Lord and Saviour!  Habakkuk gives us a great example of Rejoicing Always, he tells us when everything fails, “I will Rejoice in the Lord, I will Joy in the God of my Salvation!” The next statement of Habakkuk is: “The Lord is my strength.” There is strength in our Rejoicing! Paul also talks about Rejoicing Always and the God of Peace shall be with you! Joel admonishes us “be glad and Rejoice in the Lord your God!”  Our New Year theme must be ... Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice.  Loving you, Pastor

Put on Longsuffering

In this most Holy Season, this is not what we would normally think about – “Longsuffering!”  Yet “Longsuffering” is seen in Scripture pertaining to God and to Christ.  Even since the days of Noah, God Himself has experienced Longsuffering! As Noah was preparing the Ark, God waited in Expectation of Saving His people. In the case of Noah, saving them from the flood was a symbol of bringing Salvation through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Num. 34, God again is shown as Longsuffering; In this Old Testament Passage of Scripture God is dealing with the disobedience of the Israelites while they were in the wilderness. Vs 17-21 – We hear: “I beseech thee, let the power of my Lord be great, according as thou hast spoken, saying, The Lord is Longsuffering, and of great Mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression … And the Lord said, I have pardoned according to thy Word: As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the Glory of the Lord.” How awesome is the Word of the Lord!  God embraced Suffering at great length as He waited for all people to come to the Saving knowledge of His Son overcoming death, hell, and the grave!  Sometimes we forget the grief in the heart of God to send His Only Begotten Son to die for mankind.  God is a Spirit and we must worship Him in Spirit and Truth.  Longsuffering is a “fruit of the Spirit of God!” With the ‘Joy of Salvation came the Suffering of our Saviour!’ We are challenged and called by God’s Word in Eph. 4:1-2 “…I beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with Longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;” Again we hear in Scripture: Col. 1:10-11 “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being Fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to His Glorious Power, unto all patience and Longsuffering with Joyfulness; Longsuffering has everything to do with the Lord’s Birth, You can read the Book of Hebrews where it over and over talks about the Jesus’ suffering – talk about Long suffering; Heb. 9:26“For then must Jesus often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of Himself.  This is the season of Jesus Birth, but we have received so much more in His death and Resurrection!  His Gift to us is Eternal Life!  O Jesus we Exalt You and Glorify Your Holy Name! There is Great Expectation that You are coming in the clouds of heaven to bring us unto Yourself!     Loving you, Pastor MERRY  CHRISTMAS  TO ALL AND A JOYOUS NEW YEAR!