Psalm 139

Psalm 139:13-16   For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.  ¹⁴ I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.  ¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

As many of you know, today is my birthday!  My birthday has become a time of reflection for me.   I think about what I have accomplished so far in my life.  How God has blessed me over the past year.  I reminisce through the struggles that God has brought me through and I also think about where He is leading me this coming year.  I think about how I am closer to God than I was this time last year, but I could probably be closer.  I think about goals…some I commit to, others stay on “the bucket list” for now.  (Like running that marathon…not sure I’m ready yet.  J)

As I get older, I begin to wonder if I’m about half-way through life; though tomorrow is never promised for any of us.  I try not to think about it too much.  I do rest in knowing that God already knows – before I was born He knew all the days that I would be alive.  He knows what I’ll accomplish.  And He’s rooting for me!

Instead of thinking about how many days I might have left, we all need to focus on today.  We need to live for today – if we worry about tomorrow and how many more tomorrow’s we might have, we can become paralyzed.  What does God want me to do today?  Did I spend time with Him today?  Do I know Him better than I did yesterday?  Seek God and follow Him!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy

Romans 8

Romans 8:1-8  There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  ² For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.  ³ For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,  ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.  ⁵ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.  ⁶ For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  ⁷ For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot.  ⁸ Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

This week we have been looking at different freedoms we have because we belong to Jesus.  It’s kind of strange to say that we are free from death because all of us will eventually die – at least our bodies will die.  I have oftentimes heard people in the hospital who are Christians say they are not afraid to die…they are just afraid of the process.  They are afraid of pain and the unknown.

Because of Jesus we do not have to fear death because at our death, we are alive with Christ.  Honestly – I’m not really sure how that will work, but if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, He has fulfilled the requirement from the law and you will live forever with Him.

Because of Jesus – we are free from death!  Praise Him today because of our freedom!!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy

Matthew 6

Matthew 6:25-34  "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?  ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?  ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'  ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 

³⁴ "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Many of us struggle with control.  We like to be in control.  We like to plan on when to get up in the morning, decide what to wear and what to eat, and we like to drive the quickest way possible to school or work…and then we hit construction or there is an accident – and we are no longer in control.  We have to wait or detour and our plans are thrown out the window

…and we begin to worry.  We’re going to be late.  We’re going to get into trouble because we are going to be late.  I’m going to miss my first meeting or I’m going to be late for that meeting and have to walk in late.  I’m going to have to explain why I’m late.  Ugh!  We worry and become anxious over something we have no control over. 

Truly we never had control.  We like to think we are in control, but God truly is in control.  We have a choice – we can either try to be in control and worry and be anxious or we can trust Him and rest in His arms knowing that He’s got everything under control (which is way easier said than done). 

Because of Jesus – we are free from worry and anxiety!  Praise Him today because of our freedom!!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy

Philippians 3

Philippians 3:12-16  Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.  ¹³ Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  ¹⁵ Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you.  ¹⁶ Only let us hold true to what we have attained.

I was talking with someone the other day about salvation and the gift of Jesus dying on our behalf.  They were asking a few questions here and there, but not really saying much.  Finally, I asked this person what was holding them back from making a decision for Christ.  This person looked at me and as a tear rolled down their cheek, they said, “If you only knew what I have done, what my past looks like.”  My heart wrenched for them and I shared today’s verse with them.  I told them that as we seek forgiveness, God not only forgives, but chooses to forget our past sins.  The challenge comes in that we need to forgive ourselves.

We are often our toughest critic.  We may have asked for forgiveness several times for something, but we can’t let it go.  We can’t move on.  We need God’s help in forgiving ourselves.  We need His help in “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.”  Sometimes this process does take time, sometimes we have to talk with a trusted friend…but be assured – there is nothing too big for God to forgive and He is not keeping a record of what we have done wrong. 

Because of Jesus – we are free from our past!  Praise Him today because of our freedom!!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy

John 8

John 8:31-38  So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,  ³² and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."  ³³ They answered him, "We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?" 

³⁴ Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.  ³⁵ The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever.  ³⁶ So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  ³⁷ I know that you are offspring of Abraham; yet you seek to kill me because my word finds no place in you.  ³⁸ I speak of what I have seen with my Father, and you do what you have heard from your father."

Romans 3:22-25 tells us, “For there is no distinction:  23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,  25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”  We are all sinners.  We have all missed the mark.  Oftentimes we like to soften the blow and say that we have all made mistakes or done things we wished we hadn’t, but Scripture doesn’t say that we are all “mistakers” is says we are sinners.  We have all sinned.  We have all grieved God because of our sin.  We have all been separated from God by our sin.

But the good news of Jesus Christ is that if we accept Him as Lord, we are free from our sin.  We just have to ask God to forgive us and He will.  We are free from sin.  Well – we can be free from sin.  We still have a choice whether to sin or not.  Once we are saved and the Holy Spirit is living within us, we have the ability to be free from sin.  When we come to the point of sinning – we can decide to go ahead and sin or we can walk away from that sin.  The Holy Spirit within us gives us the power to walk away.  Even from that secret sin that no one else knows about.  Even from that sin that you have been living with for years.  You have the power to walk away and enjoy a life free from sin!  Ask God for His help and you will be set free.  No sin is too big or too challenging for God.  He will help you overcome.

What sin in your life do you need to be set free from?  What is keeping you from being free from that sin?  I can guarantee no sin is as enjoyable as freedom.

Because of Jesus – we are free from sin!  Praise Him today because of our freedom!!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy

2 Timothy 1

2 Timothy 1:6-7  For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,  ⁷ for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

In life, we all have dreams and ambitions.  We all have things we would like to do or accomplish.  We have people we would like to meet, places we would like to go, things we would like to try, but for one reason or another, we haven’t.  Some of you are probably thinking the opportunity hasn’t arisen yet.  Others may be thinking you just haven’t had the time…maybe when the kids move out, maybe when your finances are in better shape, maybe when you retire, maybe, maybe, maybe…

I think one of the main roots of why we don’t do the things on our list is because of fear.  We are afraid to fail.  We are afraid to make a fool of ourselves.  We are afraid of what others will think.  Fear is holding us back.

I love today’s passage.  The word “fear” in the Greek is “deilias - deili,aj” and is only used in the New Testament once – in this passage.  It means cowardice, timidity, or fear.  This is not the spirit we are given.  We are given power (dunamis - du,namij…where we get our word dynamite from), love (agape - avga,ph…unconditional love), and self-control (sophronismos - swfronismo,j…self-discipline, sound judgment, prudence).

I feel like God is saying – look, I’m only going to tell you once, so catch this!  You are not made for cowardice or timidity!!  You have power like dynamite, the ability to love unconditionally, and the capacity to possess sound judgment.  Now go out there and follow my lead!!

So what are you waiting for?  We aren’t called to live a life of fear; we are called to live a life of freedom!  “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Because of Jesus – we are free from fear!  Praise Him today because of our freedom!!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy

Hebrews 9

I can hardly believe it is July 1. It seems like we just started the year, just had Ash Wednesday, Easter was just a few weeks ago, right?  This year is officially half over.  The 4^th of July is Wednesday!  For our family, the 4^th of July is a big family holiday.  All family comes home and we have a blast!  Games will be played, lots of food will be eaten, and we will laugh like crazy.  We are able to enjoy one another’s company because we are free.

This week we are going to look at freedom – what we are free from as Christians.  For one – I am so excited to be born after Jesus has come.  I can’t imagine living in the Old Testament times, having to sacrifice animals all the time to cover my sin; having to offer friendship offerings, burnt offerings, drink offerings, wave offerings – it all seems so tiresome and confusing.  Praise God that Jesus came to Earth and became the final offering.  His was the final blood that needed to be shed.

We are free from the old covenant and now live under the new covenant!  We are able to approach God any time we like, not just once a year through the High Priest.  We are able to seek forgiveness for our sins, not just cover them up.  While we still need to have reverence for God, we are able to have a personal relationship with Him and not be separated from Him by our sin.

Because of Jesus – we are free!  Praise Him today because of our freedom!!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy