HOW TO WALK ON THE HIGH PLACES

WITH HIM

Many people are going through hard times today.  Why is not God answering my prayers?  Many are out of work, wondering where the next house payment will come from.  They have walked in high places recently, but now they feel they are back again down in the valley of despair.  Are you in that situation today?

We read in the book of Habakkuk, in the Old Testament, that God had a message to him in that  in those days , and to us today.  None of us enjoy being led by God into hard times, yet even though the hard places deprive us of so many things that give our lives temporal happiness, it is still possible to walk with the peace of God in the midst of our trials.

Having peace and true joy is not the result of a circumstance, but it is the result of our relationship with God.  Sometimes it is only when we are robbed of everything that gives us material happiness that we are able to recognize the true source of joy.  True joy is not found in things, but in a close walk with God.

Does the trial you are going through make you tremble inside?  You are not sure what the future holds for you or your family and in your situation.  The previous verses in Chapter 3, was a song sang by Habakkuk, describing the awesome work of the Lord God in the Children of Israel, in times past.  It describes God’s absolute awesome power and His judgment on sin and the children of Israel were to be invaded by the Babylon Army because of their sin and rebellion.

“I trembled inside when I heard this; my lips quivered in fear.  My legs gave way beneath me, and I shook in terror.  I will wait quietly for the coming day.”  Habakkuk 3:16 (NLT)

He literally shook on the inside, and his lips quivered in fear.  Many of God’s people are in that place today, shaking on the inside, quivering in fear.  They don’t know where the next paycheck is coming from, or if they will even have enough to feed their families.  But notice in that verse that he said “I will wait quietly.”  Waiting on God is one of the foundation stones of learning to follow Him.  In the Old Testament, we are often told to “wait on the Lord.”  As we wait in faith, our waiting is not passive trust but active trust.

Listen to these beautiful words in Habakkuk 3:17-20:

Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls.

Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

The LORD God is my strength;

He will make my feet like deer’s feet,

And He will make me walk on my high hills.

In this hymn of faith, sung by Habakkuk, crop failure and the loss of animals would devastate Judah.  By the Prophet affirmed that even in the midst of disaster and horrible circumstances and even starvation, he would still rejoice in the Lord His God.  And it is the same for us today, though we lose everything we hold dear, by faith, we can still depend on His strength to take us through the hard times.  When nothing in this life makes sense, and when your troubles seem more than you can bear, remember that it is God that gives the strength.  It is the strength to take your eyes off your circumstances and difficulties and look only to Him.

Habakkuk had asked God in the first chapter why evil people prosper while the righteous suffer.  God’s answer: they don’t, not in the long run.  God is alive and in control of the world and its events.  We sometimes wonder what God will do, and we cannot see all that He is doing.

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.  Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Habakkuk 1:3

But, we can be assured that He is God, and He will bring righteousness and justice to this world.  As we know this, God will give us confidence and hope in this confusing world.  God will give His people surefooted confidence through these difficult times.  We can run like deer across rough and dangerous terrain.  He desires His people live in the strength of His Spirit and confidence in His ultimate victory over evil, and God’s people can walk on the high places with Him, and we can “joy in the God of our salvation.” Praise the Lord!

In His Name,

Pastor Sharon Besler

                        

COME WITHOUT COST,

IT’S FREE!

Everyone loves to receive something that is free.  All of us love to find a bargain somewhere.    We in America have everything, it seems.  We buy, buy, buy and nothing satisfies.  So we buy bigger houses, bigger cars, and just “things.”  And still life seems empty and void.  Are you in that place, my friend?  Jesus calls you to just “COME.”  He offers living water and the bread that only He can give.  And all He offers is free, Christ has paid it all, and it cost Him everything, but because He paid it all, we have eternal life and joy in walking with Him, and the peace that only He can give.  Even in the hard places of our life, Jesus calls us to “COME!”

Jesus comes to us as living water, as living bread to feed our souls.  He is the Bread of Life, He is the Fountain of Living Water, and He invites us to eat and drink freely.  We read in the book of Isaiah an amazing scripture, speaking of that hunger and thirst and how it could be satisfied.  His people then, as people today,  were thirsty and dry.

“Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat.  Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?  Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance.  Incline your ear, and come to Me.  Hear, and your soul shall live.”  Isaiah 55:1-3

Food costs money, and it seems the prices go up and up.  But that food we buy will only last a short time, and meets only our physical needs.  But God offers us free nourishment that feeds our soul.  How do we receive that free nourishment?  First of all He says “COME” in verse 1.  In verse 2 we LISTEN, we hear  the Word of God spoken, and in verse 3 we SEEK HIM AND CALL ON HIM.  And when we call on Him, He freely gives us eternal life.  “For whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”  Romans 10:13

Isaiah asks why his people spent their hard earned wages on things that were not “bread.” And Jesus comes to us in John 6:35:  “And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me shall never hunger, and He who believes in me shall never thirst.”   He is the Bread of Life!  We eat our bread to sustain our physical life, and only Jesus Christ and our daily walk with Him will sustain our spiritual life.

“I am the living bread which came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever, and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I give for the life of the world.”  John 6:51

Think of that my friend.  He is “living bread.”  We eat of His bread and never die.   Yes, we will die physically, if Jesus doesn’t come before that time, but we will live eternally with Him.  But He had to pay the price!  He offered His body on the cross, the bread broken.  “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said “take, eat; this is My body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of me. I Corinthians 11:24.  He gave His life for the life of the world.  And He gave it willingly, for you and for me.  Praise the Lord!  And He says “Take Eat!”

And He is the Living Water!  We read in John 4 of the Samaritan woman who came to the well to draw water and found the Living Water!  Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.  But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

In the 7^th Chapter of John’s Gospel, we see Jesus in the Temple in Jerusalem, and again He is speaking of water:  On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”  John 7:37-38.

Jesus used the term living water in John 4:10 to indicate eternal life.  Here He uses the term to refer to the Holy Spirit.  The two go together.  Wherever the Holy Spirit is accepted, He brings eternal life.

And finally in Revelation 22:17: “And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come.  Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

When Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, he told her of the living water that he could supply. This image is used again and again as Jesus Christ invites anyone to come and drink the water of life.  He invites all people everywhere to come.  Salvation cannot be earned, it has been paid for, and God gives it freely.  We live in a world that is desperately hungry for living water, and so many are dying of thirst.  But it is not too late to come, so come and drink!

FILL MY CUP LORD

Like the woman at the well I was seeking for things that could not satisfy; and then I heard my Savior speaking: “Draw from My well that never shall run dry.”

CHORUS:  Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord!  Come and quench this thirsting of my soul; Bread of heaven, feed me ‘till I want no more, fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!

There are millions in this world who are craving the pleasure earthly things afford; but none can match the wondrous treasure that I find in Jesus Christ my Lord.

So, my brother, if the things this world gave you leave hungers that won’t pass away, my blessed Lord will come and save you, if you kneel to Him and humbly pray:

CHORUS:  Fill my cup, Lord, I lift it up, Lord!  Come and quench this thirsting of my soul; Bread of heaven, feed me ‘till I want no more, fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole!

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon Besler

GOD HAS SENT YOU

 A VALENTINE!

Yes, God has sent you and me a Valentine, and it is the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Valentine’s Day is upon us once again.  We see in the stores the hearts, candy, and all the signs of the day approaching.  It is a time of love, cupids, and flowers for the ones we love.  The signs of Valentine’s Day appeared on the shelves before even the Christmas decorations were put away for the year.  But do you know the significance of God’s love? 

During the Christmas season we celebrated God’s Son, coming as a baby.  We saw Him in the manger, angels adoring Him.  But again, that was all about God’s love in sending His son, His Beloved Son.  How can we fathom the deep love of Jesus?  How can we comprehend that He loved us so much that He went to the cross, suffered and died for you, for me?  So, it is not about candy hearts, red bouquets, chocolates and enduring cards to one another, it is all about His love for you and me, His own Valentine of love to you.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  John 3:16

God loved us so much, that He had a plan before the foundation of the earth. (See Revelation 13:8)  There when He created the earth in all its beauty, and man sinned, God had a plan.  He had a “Lamb” chosen.  And that “Lamb” would be slain for our sins.  All through the Old Testament offerings we see the picture of the “Lamb.”  Every time a lamb was slain on the altar, it pictured the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that would be made at Calvary. 

Here are the words of an old chorus we used to sing, and it reminds us of His great love. FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD:

“For God so loved the world He gave His only Son, to die on Calvary from sin to set me free, someday He’s coming back, what glory that will be, wonderful His love to me.” (Author Unknown)

As you see the red hearts of Valentine’s Day, be reminded of God’s big heart of love beating for you and for me.  He is our Father waiting to gather us into His loving arms.  Wherever you have strayed, my friend, He is waiting for you. 

“God showed us how much He loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.  This is real love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.  1 John 4:9-10 (NLT)

And at Calvary, He demonstrated His ultimate love for us, by sending His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ to die on that cross for our sins.  Because of His great love, we can have eternal life with Him.  That is the greatest gift of love that anyone can receive, all you have to do is ask Him to forgive your sins and accept Him by faith.

When we think about God’s love we can explain it this way:  God creates because He loves, and He created each of us to love.  God cares because He loves us, and He loves the sinner, and longs for that person to love Him in return and serve Him.  God created us to be free to choose, and He longs for us to choose Him to serve.  His love is why Christ died.  His love caused Him to create a solution to the sin problem, in the sending of His Son as atonement for our sin.  And God’s love extends to us eternal life, so we can live with Him forever. That is God’s love.

“The LORD has appeared of old to me saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you.”  Jeremiah 31:3

God’s love is everlasting, never failing, as our God is faithful.  And with His loving kindness He draws you to Himself.  So as you look on the cards and hearts you receive, remember the sweetness and love of our God.  Look on the red hearts and be reminded of the blood of Jesus, which cleanses us from all sin.

In this poem, remember that if you doubt His love, feeling rejected, and you don’t hear it told you often enough, you can never doubt that love.

YOU ARE LOVED

I know sometimes you doubt it

And you don’t hear it often enough, but

Know this one thing as you walk this earth:

You are loved.

In your finest hours and weakest moments,

You are loved.

Covered with dirt or fresh from your bath,

Respected, rejected, defamed or acclaimed

You are loved.

You may wear that love proudly as a red flower

Or keep it silent as cat whiskers,

But one thing you may never do with that love,

Is doubt it.

This is your guarantee and your obligation,

Because as surely as you live,

You are loved.

Judith Bond

Blessings and God’s Love to you,

Pastor Sharon

IS THERE NO BALM IN GILEAD?

As I walk among people, walk in malls and stores, I see in people’s faces a longing for something deep inside.  Some have deep hurts from their past, they feel rejected and alone.  Oh, they have achieved in life everything they dreamed of in life, college education, success in their careers, lovely homes and “things” but there is a void inside and they continue to strive for more and more.  And somewhere along the way their hearts have become hard toward the things of the Lord.  They may have walked with Him at one time, but the cares of this life, the hurts of this life have turned them away from His love.  How about your life today?  Are you in a desert place, dry, empty and alone?  Do you feel like He will never receive you back into His fold?

In the book of Jeremiah we see him crying out for his people, mourning because they were lost, unrepentant, and he continually cried out that God did love them and wanted to receive them back into his waiting arms.

“Is there no balm in Gilead, is there no physician there?  Why then is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people?  Jeremiah 8:22

Now Gilead was a place nearby which was noted for its medicine.  This medicine came from a certain kind of tree and the sap was made into healing medicine.  

The prophet was questioning why there was no recovery for his people.  There was no recovery for their sin sick souls because they refused to be healed, their hearts were hard. They did not want the medicine that God offered.  They were worshipping idols and had rejected their God.  And we see later that they were carried into captivity and their temple was destroyed.

I want to tell you today that there is a “Balm in Gilead.”  His name is Jesus Christ, the Messiah.  Jesus came to this earth to die for you, to give you eternal life, to give you peace and joy deep down inside.  The blood of Jesus is a balm for the soul, it is healing medicine.  The prophet looked forward to the day when Messiah would come.  Won’t you accept His healing medicine today?  It is at the cross of Christ that are sins are washed away, and we are made as white as snow.

Come now, let us reason together,”

Says the LORD, though

Your sins are like scarlet, they

Shall be as white as snow;

Through they are red like

Crimson, they shall be as wool.

Isaiah 1:18

There is nothing on this earth that can heal the disease of sin.  We have all fallen short of His glory.  In Romans 3:23 we read: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  He alone is able to restore, heal and redeem us from the perils of sin. The blood of Christ, which was poured out on the cross for our sins is the balm that we need to cure our sin sick souls and bring us eternal life.

We read in Matthew 8:2-3 about the man who had leprosy who asked Jesus if He was willing to heal his disease.  Jesus said, “I am willing.”  Jesus is always ready and willing to heal.  There is no area in our souls that Jesus is not willing to heal.  Won’t you ask Him today?  Only the blood of Christ can make you clean and well.

David cried out in Psalm 51:12: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.   Cast me not away from Thy Presence, O LORD and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation, and renew a right spirit within me.”

Father, in the Name of Jesus, I bring the lost out there to You.  I bring those who have strayed from the fold, and feel as if they can never be forgiven for things they have done.  Thank You, Jesus, that at the cross we can find cleansing, as your precious blood is the very balm for our sin sick souls.  So I pray that You, Lord Jesus, draw them to Yourself, by the power of Your Holy Spirit.  May they feel your wonderful peace within, and that empty place in their hearts will be filled with joy, and they will be satisfied at last!  And they will walk in Your forgiveness and Your love.  In Jesus’ Name, AMEN……..

Blessings,

Pastor Sharon

Some of you may remember this very old hymn:

THE BALM OF GILEAD

Refrain

There is a balm in Gilead

To make the wounded whole;

There is a balm in Gilead

To heal the sin sick soul

Sometimes I feel discouraged,

And think my works in vain,

But then the Holy Spirit

Revives my soul again.

Refrain

If you can’t preach like Peter,

If you can’t pray like Paul,

Just tell the love of Jesus,

And say He died for all.

Refrain

Traditional Spiritual