WHAT DO I SEE

FROM UP HERE

Part Two

As we continued our flight across the country and back, watching out the airplane window, not only did I observe the clouds drifting across the sky and the great thunderheads forming in the distance, but I saw below the floating clouds, cities, roads, rivers, green fields.  I saw large cities and small towns.  From up here they look like small toys.  When flying at night, I observed the twinkling lights of great cities, such as Los Angeles and Los Angeles, County.

I began to think about the millions of people down there and across our country.  The people down there were going about their business and their daily lives, with all their heartache and struggles, unmindful of the jet above the clouds, and someone looking down on their world.  But God looks down on their world, as He is the “God Who Sees.”  The Bible calls Him EL ROI.  (Genesis 16:13-14)

 The LORD looks down from heaven;

He sees all humankind.

From where He sits enthroned He watches

All the inhabitants of the earth,

He who fashions the hearts of them all,

And observes their deeds . . .

Truly the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him,

On those who hope in His steadfast love,

To deliver their soul from death,

And to keep them alive in famine.

Psalm 33:13-15, 18-19 (NSRV)

My heart was moved, as I was reminded also that My Savior died for each and every one down there.  He died for every man, woman and child, no matter what the circumstance of their lives, or where they lived, or in what condition they found themselves in.  My Savior died on that cross, suffering in agony, for them, for this world.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosover believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but the world through Him might be saved” John 3:16-17.

I was also mindful that down there, under those clouds, and behind those twinkling lights, were people in pain, people in grief.  I am sure there were people at gravesites of a beloved loved one, and wondering “why?”  There were people at bedsides in hospitals and nursing homes, or in hospice situations, watching a loved one slip away.  There were people in dire circumstances, victims of abuse, wounded people without hope.  In this country, there are churches on “every corner” it seems.  Yet I have known people and heard stories of people who didn’t know who Jesus was.

I worked with a lady once who only knew the name “Jesus,” as a swear word.  She had never heard the gospel story of Jesus and no one in her family had ever been Christians as far as she knew.  I had a wonderful chance to tell her about the Living Lord Jesus who loved her.  I heard a story recently from a speaker who shared that he and his wife had befriended a young lady at Christmas time, and she had never heard the story of Jesus’ birth nor anything about Him.  They had the wonderful privilege of leading her to Jesus.  I wonder how many more are out there in this country, who have never heard about Jesus?  It breaks my heart, as Jesus loves them so much.

Are you one of those hurting ones today?  Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior?  Do you feel empty and lost inside.  Jesus came to die just for you and to give you eternal life in Heaven with Him and He desires a living personal relationship with you.  He is waiting with open arms to receive you.  All you have to do is ask Him to come into your heart and forgive your sins.

But what does it say?  “The word is near you, in your mouth in in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):  that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  Romans 10:9-10, 13.

If you love Jesus, but find yourself in difficult situations, with seemingly no end in site on the path just ahead, look up, my friend, there is Jesus, with open arms waiting to just enfold you in His arms, arms of comfort and peace. “Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” Matthew 11:28-30.

A yoke is a heavy wooden harness that fits over the shoulders of an ox or oxen.  It is attached to the equipment the oxen will pull.  You may be carrying a heavy burden of sin, depression, grief, weariness, anger.  Jesus came to free of those burdens.  Jesus’ rest is love, healing and peace with God.  If you give your life to Jesus, you partner with Jesus in a shared yoke.  The weight of that yoke is falling on bigger shoulders than yours.  So let Him heal you, let Him give you His peace, let Jesus share the yoke with you.

I observed much more from high in the sky, much of which God is still revealing to me through His Word, and I will continue on sharing my thoughts on the world below the clouds.  And oh, the awesome picture of the sun setting above the clouds!

“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace”  Numbers 6:24-26.

In His Name,

Pastor Sharon

WHAT DO I SEE

FROM UP HERE?

Part 1

We arrived at our gate on time, and the plane left right on schedule and now we are flying east at about 32,000 feet in the air.  The plane is full and the cabin is calm.  Some people are reading, some are sleeping and some are playing with their “electronic” toys.

 I am fortunate this time to have a window seat, my window to the world up above the clouds.  I have my camera handy to catch pictures of God’s amazing handiwork.  As I gaze out the window I notice the clouds.  And at this moment they look like cotton balls rolled across the heavens.  Off in the distance, especially as we neared our destination there are huge thunderhead clouds.  There are light clouds floating above the cities and towns.

Then I am reminded that Jesus said that He was coming with clouds (Matthew 24:30, Revelation 1:7).  I wonder what it would be like to be raptured from up here.   We could literally “meet Him in the air.”

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words” I Thessalonians 4:16-18.

I also remember in the Old Testament, and the Children of Israel, how God appeared in a cloud by day and fire by night.  And when the Temple was completed in the days of Solomon, how the cloud filled the temple, simply amazing!

Oh, how majestic is our God!  Our minds do not comprehend how awesome He really is.  And being up here in the clouds one can just get a glimpse of his handiwork, His marvelous creation.  Only He could create those awesome clouds, those thunderhead clouds forming in the distance.

“Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; nor can the number of His years be discovered.  For He draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the midst, which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man.  Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of clouds, and thunder from His canopy?  Look, He scatters His light upon it and covers the depths of the sea” Job 36:28-30.

What a marvelous portion of Scripture!  How can we ever understand the rain, the thunder, and how He spreads out those clouds, and sometimes the clouds were dark and the light was seen behind them.  I remember as we traveled home, traveling west and it was dark as we traveled but one could see the golden light across the horizon as we neared the west coast.  And we cannot understand the thunder that booms and the lightening which streaks across the sky, as we saw those great and mighty thunderhead clouds.

“At this also my heart trembles, and leaps from its place.  Hear attentively the thunder of His voice, and the rumbling that comes from His mouth.  He sends it forth under the whole heaven, His lightning to the ends of the earth.  After it a voice roars; He thunders with His majestic voice, and He does not restrain them when His voice is heard” Job 37:1-5.

When visiting our daughter, we observed the lightening as it lit up the sky and we heard the thunder roll, and then the rain and the wind came.  It was an awesome display of God’s power, and it was indeed as if His voice was thundering across the sky.  We were in awe, as we don’t often see this kind of storm in the area where we live. 

And yes, our hearts do pound as we see God’s mighty power displayed.  Next time you are in such a storm, listen to God’s majestic voice and bow in Praise to our Mighty God!

“The heavens tell the glory of God.  The skies display His marvelous craftsmanship.  Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known.  They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world” Psalm 19:1-4

God’s mighty creation speaks to the end of the earth, and the stars make Him known at night.  Everywhere, in all the world, His mighty creation is seen.  Paul tells us in Romans 1, that man is without excuse, because God’s creation is seen.

So how can one not look at the sky, or fly above the clouds, and look down on God’s mighty creation, and not know or want to know Him?  And when flying at night, I observed the stars and they seemed so close.  At one point, there was a full moon in the sky and it was partially covered by clouds, amazing!

Do you know Him, my friend?  Have you once known Him and drifted away in your walk with the Lord?  Go outside on a cloudy day and look up at the heavens and observe the clouds.  Observe them after a rainstorm, or when the sun is going down.  Go outside at night and observe the stars.  And if you are flying, see if you can sit in a window seat and look out over the clouds and see our Mighty God at work and feel His Mighty presence and His love.  God Bless you!

In His Name,

Pastor Sharon

AS I WALK THIS PATH

OF LIFE

 Recently we took an extended hike in the mountains.  Our destination was to see a beautiful waterfall and then to see the gigantic rocks along the river.

The path started wide and straight, with lovely trees along the way.  Then the path began to get steeper, and there were more rocks in the path.  Then we begin to climb, and the climb became so steep that my husband held me by the hand as we walked higher and higher. 

Then there were rocks, more and more of them.  I am not very agile when it comes to climbing over rocks.  I am always afraid my feet will slip, but my faithful husband continued to hold my hand and guide me over the rocks and to see the falls as they cascaded down the mountainside.  Oh, the beauty of God’s creation!

After seeing the falls, we headed back down the path and to the river.  But first came more climbing over rocks, even steeper than our previous climb.  And there they were, enormous rocks, with the river flowing over and around them.  And many people were bathing their feet in the cold waters of the river.  As I looked around at the enormous rocks, the cascading river, the trees, I begin to liken this experience to my walk with the Lord and how He guides me down the pathway of life, even though there may be enormous rocks in my pathway.  And I am reminded that He is my Rock, He is my Fortress, and He is my deliverer (Psalm 18:2).  My God is immovable and He never changes and He is as solid as those rocks!

You may have enormous rocks in your pathway today.  Some of those rocks are big enough to climb on and others are gigantic.  We may have rocks of cancer in our pathway.  There may be rocks of fear, anguish, grief, financial stress.  In the midst of our darkest nights God promises to light a lamp and bring light to your darkness. (Psalm 18:28)  And our Lord Jesus has walked the path of suffering, and is ever full of love and compassion for your tears.

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps” Proverbs 16:9.

As we walk this pathway, we may plan where we are going, but as we serve the LORD and seek His will for our lives, it is the LORD that will direct our steps.  He will guide us in the right direction and down the path for our lives, according to His will.  And isn’t it wonderful to know that He is leading us and guiding us all the way, no matter what the obstacles that may lie ahead on that pathway. 

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” Psalm 16:11.

Oh, the joy of walking down that pathway with Jesus!  And He reminds us that we can look up toward our final destination.  “God will guide me with His counsel, and then lead me home to glory” Psalm 73:24.

And then the path gets steeper.  There are obstacles in my path.  Sometimes I feel I cannot take another step.  I just don’t have the strength to go on.  Sometimes the storms come on my pathway and I can hardly see my way ahead, and it may be dark and fearful times in my life.   Are you going through similar circumstances right now?  You don’t know which path to take, and the path you are on is steep and narrow?

“God will bring me by a way I did not know; God will lead me in paths I have not known.  He will make darkness light before me, and crooked places straight.  God will do these things for me, and not forsake me” Isaiah 42:16.

God knows the way ahead, and it may be on a pathway that we have never trod before.    For He promises He will never leave us or forsake us ( Hebrews 13:5-6).  Oh, what a Wonderful God we serve!

And as I walked that path, I was so fearful of losing my footing and falling.  There were many rocks to climb over and I was not sure where to plant my feet safely.  But on my pathway walking with our Lord He promises: “I will walk safely in my way, and my foot will not stumble; for the Lord will be my confidence, and will keep my foot from being caught. (Proverbs 3:23 & 26).

And as I trod this path, my husband holding my hand up the steep trail and over the rocks, I was reminded of My Heavenly Father who promises to hold my right hand (Psalm 139:10).  And He is also our Shepherd always leading and guiding us always upward toward the goal.

“One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, I press toward the goal of God in Christ Jesus” Philippians 3:13-14.

So we keep pressing on this pathway that He has set us on, even though there may be rocks of testing and trial in our pathway.  The climb may be steep and rocky, but we never look back, for our Wonderful God is holding our hand all the way, as we continually look upward.  We look forward to our heavenly prize ahead, and that is our goal.  Praise the Lord!

Blessings as you continue to walk this pathway with our Lord!

Pastor Sharon

Dear Precious Friends,

I will be on vacation for two weeks, and will be back with you on Sept. 30th.  So God Bless You, keep your eyes on the goal ahead, and keep climbing that pathway with Jesus.

Blessings,
Pastor Sharon Besler

AS I WALK THIS PATH

OF LIFE

 Recently we took an extended hike in the mountains.  Our destination was to see a beautiful waterfall and then to see the gigantic rocks along the river.

The path started wide and straight, with lovely trees along the way.  Then the path began to get steeper, and there were more rocks in the path.  Then we begin to climb, and the climb became so steep that my husband held me by the hand as we walked higher and higher. 

Then there were rocks, more and more of them.  I am not very agile when it comes to climbing over rocks.  I am always afraid my feet will slip, but my faithful husband continued to hold my hand and guide me over the rocks and to see the falls as they cascaded down the mountainside.  Oh, the beauty of God’s creation!

After seeing the falls, we headed back down the path and to the river.  But first came more climbing over rocks, even steeper than our previous climb.  And there they were, enormous rocks, with the river flowing over and around them.  And many people were bathing their feet in the cold waters of the river.  As I looked around at the enormous rocks, the cascading river, the trees, I begin to liken this experience to my walk with the Lord and how He guides me down the pathway of life, even though there may be enormous rocks in my pathway.  And I am reminded that He is my Rock, He is my Fortress, and He is my deliverer (Psalm 18:2).  My God is immovable and He never changes and He is as solid as those rocks!

You may have enormous rocks in your pathway today.  Some of those rocks are big enough to climb on and others are gigantic.  We may have rocks of cancer in our pathway.  There may be rocks of fear, anguish, grief, financial stress.  In the midst of our darkest nights God promises to light a lamp and bring light to your darkness. (Psalm 18:28)  And our Lord Jesus has walked the path of suffering, and is ever full of love and compassion for your tears.

“A man’s heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps” Proverbs 16:9.

As we walk this pathway, we may plan where we are going, but as we serve the LORD and seek His will for our lives, it is the LORD that will direct our steps.  He will guide us in the right direction and down the path for our lives, according to His will.  And isn’t it wonderful to know that He is leading us and guiding us all the way, no matter what the obstacles that may lie ahead on that pathway. 

“You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” Psalm 16:11.

Oh, the joy of walking down that pathway with Jesus!  And He reminds us that we can look up toward our final destination.  “God will guide me with His counsel, and then lead me home to glory” Psalm 73:24.

And then the path gets steeper.  There are obstacles in my path.  Sometimes I feel I cannot take another step.  I just don’t have the strength to go on.  Sometimes the storms come on my pathway and I can hardly see my way ahead, and it may be dark and fearful times in my life.   Are you going through similar circumstances right now?  You don’t know which path to take, and the path you are on is steep and narrow?

“God will bring me by a way I did not know; God will lead me in paths I have not known.  He will make darkness light before me, and crooked places straight.  God will do these things for me, and not forsake me” Isaiah 42:16.

God knows the way ahead, and it may be on a pathway that we have never trod before.    For He promises He will never leave us or forsake us ( Hebrews 13:5-6).  Oh, what a Wonderful God we serve!

And as I walked that path, I was so fearful of losing my footing and falling.  There were many rocks to climb over and I was not sure where to plant my feet safely.  But on my pathway walking with our Lord He promises: “I will walk safely in my way, and my foot will not stumble; for the Lord will be my confidence, and will keep my foot from being caught. (Proverbs 3:23 & 26).

And as I trod this path, my husband holding my hand up the steep trail and over the rocks, I was reminded of My Heavenly Father who promises to hold my right hand (Psalm 139:10).  And He is also our Shepherd always leading and guiding us always upward toward the goal.

“One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, I press toward the goal of God in Christ Jesus” Philippians 3:13-14.

So we keep pressing on this pathway that He has set us on, even though there may be rocks of testing and trial in our pathway.  The climb may be steep and rocky, but we never look back, for our Wonderful God is holding our hand all the way, as we continually look upward.  We look forward to our heavenly prize ahead, and that is our goal.  Praise the Lord!

Blessings as you continue to walk this pathway with our Lord!

Pastor Sharon

AM I STANDING TALL AND STRAIGHT

OR BENT BY THE WIND?

 As we were traveling recently through the mountain and the forest to the coast, I was looking at the trees on the mountainside.  Then I looked at those along the stream flowing down the cliff, and wondered why some trees are straight and tall.  Some seem to be bent by the wind and the snows of winter.  Some have simply died.

 Then we drove through the giant redwood forests, and again I marveled at God’s creation and why some seem to reach to the sky, and others are drying up.

 Then the thought came to me that we are like those trees.  Some of us are strong and green and can stand strong in the midst of howling winds, rain, and the storms that come into our lives.  Others of us give up in the midst of storms and trials, our roots wither, and we lose our grip on life.  We no longer seek God in His Word or spend time in prayer.  Many think God has forgotten them in their suffering.

 And I looked again at those trees growing by the riverbank, strong and green.  They are the ones whose roots go deep down into the stream.  There are other trees which seem to grow right out of the walls of the cliff and their roots reach down into the stream bed.  Let’s look at God’s Word and see what the Lord has to say about trees and how they relate to our own lives and our walk with the Lord.

 “Blessed are those who trust in the LORD their hope and confidence.  They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water.  Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought.  Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit”  Jeremiah 17:7-8. (NLT)

 Here we have a beautiful picture of those going through the great storms of life.  When he heat of trial comes, or times of great need or lack.  Sometimes we are worried about the needs of tomorrow, but these in the passage of scripture are not worried.  The LORD says they are “blessed,” because they put their hope and trust in the LORD in their great time of need.  And notice that they never stop producing fruit, no matter what the trial or how many years they may live.

 “But the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow strong like the cedars of Lebanon.  For they are transplanted to the LORD’s own house, they flourish in the courts of our God.  Even in old age they will still produce fruit; they will remain vital and green” Psalm 92:12-14. (NLT)

 It is said that the cedars of Lebanon grew to 120 feet in height and up to 30 feet in circumference; thus, they were solid, strong and immovable.  The writer of the Psalm saw believers as upright, strong, and unmoved by the winds of circumstance.  When we place our faith firmly in God’s care, even when the storms howl around us, we will walk in His strength.  And notice that even when we hit our senior years, we can still be bearing fruit.  We can be walking daily in the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:21), still be a witness to those around us and be an intercessor, praying for our friends and loved ones and our grandchildren and generations to come (Psalms 71:18).

 "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night.  They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season.  They leaves never wither, and they proper in all they do”  Psalms 1:1-3.

 Here we have another lovely picture of that tree by the river, standing straight and tall, unmoved by the winds of circumstance or by the storms that beat upon it, or by the rain or snow that may come.  This tree is also drawing deep into the river bank.  This is a lovely picture again of the Holy Spirit and the Living Water that Jesus talks about in John 4 and John 7.  It is drawing from the living waters of the Holy Spirit that we grow and draw nourishment.

 And how do we continue to grow straight and tall in times of testing and trial?  How can we keep producing fruit in our lives, having leaves that never wither and prospering  in whatever He calls us to do?  “But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night” (v 2).  It is staying in the Word of God, memorizing it, letting it sink deep into our hearts and meditating or pondering the fresh Word of God day and night.  It is finding a quiet place daily, feeding our souls with His Word and spending time in prayer.

 Then we will be like those trees by the river in the mountains, strong and straight, green and producing fruit and drawing water deep from the stream.  We won’t have to be like the other trees who are right there by the river, but have dried up.  They have dried up because their roots did not go deep into the stream. Maybe they are like some of us, we start growing, but trials and things of this world come in and we cease to draw nourishment from the Living Water, the Living Water that only comes by the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

 So what kind of tree are you, my friend?  Are you straight and tall?  Are your roots going deep into the Water of the Word of God?   God is calling His people back into His Word, into prayer and spending  time with Him.  Things are tough in the world situation, and all around us.  We all need to be drawing our strength from Him and then our hope and strength are secure no matter what the circumstances of life may bring.  God Bless you as you dig deep into His Word and continue to let your roots go deep into the Living Waters.  Praise the Lord!

 In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon