Psalm 121

Psalm 121:1-8  A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?  ² My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.  ³ He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.  ⁴ Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.  ⁵ The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand.  ⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  ⁷ The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.  ⁸ The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

I woke up this morning with an excitement!  An excitement for God and an excitement to see what He is up to!  We serve a God who is on the move and He seems to be on the move even more lately.  Or maybe I’ve been more aware of His movement.  Maybe I’ve been more open to allowing Him to move.

We like to be in control.  We like to look to ourselves for help – or we like to look to our friends and family for help – but we need to look to the Lord!  Scripture tells us that He is where our help comes from!  He’s the one who is in control.  He made the heavens and the earth, He can and will definitely intervene in every situation that we invite Him into.  We just have to make sure and invite Him in.

Often times we believe that God is too busy or our challenges aren’t great enough to bother Him.  Or we believe we can handle it and don’t need His help.  Or maybe we just forget that He is always there as a resource for us.  And He is always there.  He never sleeps nor slumbers, He stays awake all night as we sleep.  We can rest knowing that He stands watch through the night.  If we let Him, He will keep us and protect us.

Our challenge – let God be God and allow Him to be in control; allow Him to be your help!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy

Job

Job 2:9-10  Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die."  ¹⁰ But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

I was talking with an old friend yesterday, catching each other up about what has been going on in our lives.  She has been having a few rough months lately.  She was in a really bad car accident back in June, totaling her car and one other and damaging three other vehicles in addition to the individual who had caused the accident.  The individual who was at fault only had liability insurance…not enough coverage to cover everyone.  So my friend’s insurance had to help her get a new car (she had just bought a new car in May, 2012).  She is also no having aches and pains and seeing a doctor due to this accident.

Then in early July she had to fly home to Ohio to attend her grandfather’s funeral.  My friend is a grief counselor and knows that you can never be prepared to lose a loved one, but it’s always different when it’s you instead of a client.  Then a couple weeks ago her air conditioner decided to start acting up…ah the joys of home ownership.  After having it looked at, it will be cheaper to replace the unit than to have it fixed.  Then last week while she was mowing, she ran over a storm drain just right and bent one of her blades.  After having that fixed, she realized the damage was worse than just that because she was leaking oil too!!

My friend expressed her tiredness over everything that had been going on.  Any of these individually would be a bump in the road; having them build on top of one another seemed more like a roadblock.  My friend has been through a lot in her life and her faith is strong…I don’t have to worry about her cursing God and dying as Job’s wife suggests.

If you aren’t familiar with Job’s story, I encourage you to read it.  The story of Job begins by explaining his wealth and many blessings.  Satan then pays a visit to God, telling Him that Job would not be such a Godly servant if life weren’t so easy for him.  God allows Satan to “go at it” with Job, just spare his life.  So little by little Satan destroys all that Job has.  Job’s children are killed, all his cattle and flocks are killed, his crops are destroyed, and Job, himself ends up with physical afflictions.  His wife suggests he give up, but Job refuses.

In the end Job is reconciled and God blesses him beyond what he previously had…and that is the encouragement we are able to take with us.  Even though life may seem a mess and our world seems to be falling in around us, God is still in control.  He will be with us through the trials and we will be blessed for persevering…though we may have to wait until Heaven to receive the blessing, it is coming.

Stay resolute and encouraged!!  God is with you!!

Pastor Amy

Isaiah 6

Isaiah 6:1-5   In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.  ² Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  ³ And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"  ⁴ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.  ⁵ And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

The other day I was having a conversation with a friend around Bible translations.  We agreed that some translations are better than others, some are easier to understand and some do a better job of getting to the point of what the original texts intended.  The challenge is that without knowing the original language, some of the nuances of Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) are lost in translation.

One of the things we spoke about relates to today’s passage.  In Hebrew, they did not have punctuation.  They also did not have a similar word for “very.”  So if someone speaking Hebrew wanted to punctuate their point, instead of saying “very pretty” or “pretty!” they repeated the word; pretty pretty.  So if someone was very smart, they would be “smart smart.”  If someone’s house was really small, it would be “small small.”

The author of Isaiah utilized this principle, but he took it to the next level.  Isaiah didn’t say God was “holy holy,” he said God was “holy holy holy” (vAdßq' vAd±q' ŸvAdôq').  God is so holy, Isaiah had to go beyond what typical grammar allowed for and said it three times; really punctuating his point.

Holy is one of those words that we use in church, but sometimes don’t really know what it means.  I think the best definition for holy is something that is worthy to be worshiped and praised.  We serve a God that is not just “kind of worthy” to be worshiped, but one that is amazingly worthy!!  There is none like our God!!

Praise God today – for He is Holy, holy, holy – and worthy of our praise!

Pastor Amy

Psalm 86:10-11  For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.  ¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.

Ephesians 4:15-16  Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,  ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

2 Peter 3:16-17  There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.  ¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.

“My Pleasure. J”  Whenever I hear these words, a smile always comes to my face.  Living in the south during seminary, I became accustomed to hearing these words when I was at one of my favorite restaurants.  A place I could go and always be treated well.  A place I could go study and listen to Christian music.  A place I could go and have the managers come out and refill my beverage…and remember, this is a fast food place.  The challenge?  Make sure you’re not craving a Chicken Biscuit on Sunday!

I love Chick-fil-A.  I love the food, the customer service, and the focus on family values.  Many of you may have heard Chick-fil-A in the news the past couple of days.  Their President Dan Cathy, when asked about his view on same-sex marriage, commented that he backs the traditional family unit.  Way to go Dan Cathy!  Way to step up and speak the truth!  Way to not back down in the face of adversity!  And adversity there is.

 Because of this comment, several cities, including Chicago, are now trying to stop Chick-fil-A from opening restaurants there.  Others are calling for a boycott of the “Eat Mor Chikin” chain.  They are saying this restaurant is a hate group.  My heart aches.  The day has come when we can no longer say we support traditional family values without others claiming discrimination.  Does that mean we stop speaking the truth?  No Way!!

Scripture tells us we must learn God’s ways so we can walk in the truth.  We must make sure we have a solid hold of “The Truth” so we can identify when others twist Scripture (like the signs stating “God Hates Hate”).  False teaching is all over this and confusing those who are not solid in their faith.  We need to be bold – bolder than ever before; speaking out in favor of God and His Word and against those speaking falsity.  We need to not back down and stay silent, taking the non-confrontation road.  We must speak the truth in love.

Go and be a light!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy

Psalm 46

Psalm 46:1-3  God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.  ² Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,  ³ though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah

I was visiting with someone this week and after sharing some thoughts on the weather, she started sharing about the events of her life.  She started slowly, sharing that her husband and she had been part of a church plant in Indiana.  She shared about how they had struggled financially, but God always provided “just in time” when a bill needed to be paid or food needed to be purchased.  She shared how many people had come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior through their ministry.

In addition to financial struggles, she also shared about challenges with family, challenges with some of the parishioners, and challenges she was currently having with grief over the loss of loved ones.  She also shared her struggles with adapting to her “new lifestyle” caused by her changes in health.  At the end of her story, she commented, “I just don’t know how people do it without knowing Jesus.”

I completely agree!!  If I only had me to depend on, I would be in a world of hurt.  I’m not all powerful or all knowing.  I can’t rest in the fact that I know what is going on and what will come in the future.  Only God is “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  He is the only one who can help us through the tough times.  He’s the only one who is our provider.

Rest in the knowledge that it is God who is your strength!

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy

Esther 4

Esther 4:15-16  Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai,  ¹⁶ "Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish."

I don’t know anyone who enjoys taking orders.  We all like doing things our way in our timing.  Though, almost every area of our life is full of doing things because it is what others require of us.  At school, we do as our teachers ask so we can learn and graduate to the next grade.  At work, we do as our boss requires so we can get paid and hopefully earn raises and promotions.  At home, we do as our family needs – doing laundry and cleaning, making meals spending time together.  Very rarely, it seems, we get to do what we want and how we want.

There is one other that we need to follow and do as He requires, God.  God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9) and often times He asks us to things we are unsure of, uncomfortable with, or even places fear within us.  We just don’t want to.  We’d like to put our foot down and just say, “No!”

Our passage today is from the book of Esther, the story of God preserving the Jewish people throughout the Persian Empire through Esther and her Uncle Mordecai.  God requires a task of Esther and she doesn’t want to carry it out.  In fact she says, “No, it’s too dangerous” because she might lose her life.  Eventually, through the course of events, she comes to the understanding that being obedient is more important than her life.  She does what is required and God’s people are preserved.

Being obedient is more important that your life.  God’s ways often seem strange to us…He just doesn’t make sense sometimes.  Though, do we really want a God we can completely understand?  Plus, if we do it His way instead of our way, He gets the glory…it has to be Him working through us!!

What is God asking of you?  Is He asking you to stand up for someone, a co-worker or classmate?  Is He asking you to stand up against an ethical wrong at work?  Is He asking you to encourage someone in your life whom you haven’t spoken with in years?  Does He want you to share the Gospel Message with a family member who has been resistant for years?  Is there a ministry He is leading you to start, but you have been trying to ignore Him? 

God doesn’t typically ask us to do easy things that don’t cause us to sweat.  If He did, we wouldn’t have to rely on Him for help.  Remember, if God is leading you to do or say or start something, He will be with you until the end.  Even if we feel foolish or fearful, following God is more important!!  Who knows?  Maybe we have been made “for such a time as this?" (Esther 4:14)

I’m praying for you!

Pastor Amy

2 Timothy 2

2 Timothy 2:16-17a  But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,  ¹⁷ and their talk will spread like gangrene.

I was sitting at one of my favorite places yesterday enjoying a coffee and reading a book to pass the time.  I couldn't help but over hear a couple of ladies talking.  They were talking about retirement funds and the challenge between using the money they had saved and making sure the money lasts until the end...a few different comments led me to believe they were in their early 70's.

Then all of a sudden, the topic changed.  "Oh my goodness, look who is coming this way - don't look!  We don't want her coming over here!!"  The conversation continued to speak ill of this other woman's character, habits, and even the outfit she was wearing.  One of the women even said, "I know I shouldn't be like this, but..." and she continued to tear down this other woman.

As I sat there trying to read my book, I just kept thinking, really?  At your age you haven't figured out how destructive gossip is?  And this poor woman – I was certain if she did notice these ladies and came over, they would be as pleasant as old friends towards her.

Scripture tells us gossip can infiltrate and destroy like nothing else.  Even listening to gossip is sin.  Listening to someone else's slander effects how we feel about the person.  Before we know it, we don't care for the person either and aren't really sure why.

We need to steer clear of gossip...speaking it and listening to it.  I'll even say, “Oh really?  I like her, I think she's really nice”...that typically quiets the person who is trying to draw me to their camp.  If you do find yourself gossiping, stop and repent immediately.  It's a bad habit many of us need to break.  We don't even realize we are doing it.

Ask God to open your eyes to all destructive habits you may have, including gossip, and ask for the strength to quit!

I'm praying for you!

Pastor Amy