WHY WORRY WHEN YOU CAN PRAY!

WHY WORRY WHEN

YOU CAN PRAY!

In my recent journey of memories, we found an old group picture of church summer camp.  Many groups were there from different churches, and each group was dressed in special outfits for the camp picture.  And there in the middle of this large group was mother, myself, my cousin, and others who were there from our church for a wonderful week of hearing God’s Word, fun and fellowship.  I went to this camp from the time I was nine years old through my last year of high school, and there were so many memories as we looked through these pictures. And many of my commitments for my life ahead, and my walk and service for the Lord were made around the campfire at camp.  Oh, such precious memories!

The camp is in the High Sierra Mountains, and as the road winds ever closer to the camp, it gets very narrow, with cliffs on the side, and thick forests.  And on this particular trip to camp mother was driving, and in the car were my cousin and another lady from our church, and may have been others in the car.  This lady’s name was Mina and she was terrified of those mountain curves.  And as mother drove around those curves she began to sing:

 Why worry when you can pray.

Trust Jesus, He leads the way.

Don’t be like doubting Thomas

Who leaned not on His promise,

Why worry, worry, worry

When you can pray.

(Unknown)

As I remember, mother sang that song over and over all the way into the camp, and Mina became calm and was reminded when she was fearful, she should pray, and the Lord would calm her fears, and she could look forward to her week at camp, and the drive back down that mountain, around those curves, back down into the valley.

And as we, as God’s children, continue our journey in this life, there will be many mountain passes to travel through also.  Some of our “mountain” journey will lead us to those wonderful mountain top experiences with the Lord.  As a child and continuing on into high school, those moments at camp were so precious with the Lord, that I did not want to leave the mountain and go home.  But the time comes when we have to face the challenges ahead and spend time in the valleys. 

And no matter how steep the mountain may become, our Lord has walked that path before you, and He knows what is ahead and around the next curve.  And someday, we will round the last bend, and there ahead of us will be our destination, heaven at last.

I remember so well going around those curves, and the last climb into the camp ground.  There was an old oak tree, from which the camp was named, and there was the archway leading into camp, and there we could see at last all the camp before us, the lodge, and the dormitories where we stayed and so on. And, especially as a child, I was so excited!  Can you imagine with me the excitement climbing that last curve and down the road and there is your heavenly home?  Heaven won’t begin to compare with summer camp, but it will be permanent, never having to go back to the valley, never having to go back to sorrow or pain. We will never have to leave the “mountain top” again.  Praise the Lord!

And as we travel through the “mountains of our lives”, He calls us not to worry when the way gets rough.  We live in tough times, life for some is very hard and difficult.  Some worry where the next paycheck will come from so they can feed their families.  But listen to the words of Jesus, as He calls us not to worry about tomorrow:

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘what shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ “For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.  “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.  Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” Matthew 6:31-34.

The Lord is telling us in this hour not to worry about draught, or water shortages, or buying clothing tomorrow, for ourselves or our children.  Our Wonderful Lord knows that we need the basic necessities of life.  But look at what He says is the solution to our worries about tomorrow.  He calls us to seek His kingdom, walk with Him, serve Him and make Him the Lord of our lives.  And how do we do that?  It is by spending time in prayer and reading His Word.  His Word is full of His precious promises to you, to me.  His Word is “our daily bread,” as we read, pray and meditate on those precious promises.

And He calls us not to worry about what may happen tomorrow, not to be fearful about those things coming to pass in our world.  He wants us to just live for today, right now.  Tomorrow will have its own troubles.

“But you, when you pray, to into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” Matthew 6:6.

So when those worries began to come, and you become anxious about the needs in your life, go into your prayer closet (your room) and shut the door and pour it out to your Lord, as He will hear from heaven, and will being you peace in the situation, and we serve a Wonderful prayer answering God.

And if you don’t know Jesus as your personal Savior, and you are filled with fear and anxiety about the future, call on Him now.  He is waiting for you.  And you, too, can learn to lean on His promises and instead of being filled with worry, you can pray.

And we all look forward to that wonderful day, after all the struggles on our journey on the steep pathway home, we will “See Our Home, Sweet Home.”  And we will never have to worry again.  Praise the Lord!

 

Home, sweet home,

Home, sweet home.

Where I’ll never roam.

I see the light of

That city so bright,

My home, sweet home.

(N.B. Vandall)

 In the Name of Jesus,

Pastor Sharon

 

 

KEYS TO SUCCESS WITH JESUS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

KEYS TO SUCCESS

WITH JESUS!

This past week we took another journey down to my hometown.  It was a journey of memories through our lives from three little girls to the senior adults we have now become.  As I stood at my mother’s graveside with my sisters, I realized what an impact she had on our lives, and the faith in her God that she left with us.

She stood strong, and left us a legacy of her faith as we sort through the many journals she left us.  So I am going to share a favorite hymn and remember those precious memories with mother. And then I will share some of her thoughts called:  “Eight Keys to Success,” but due to space will not be able to share all of them but just some highlights from Psalm 37 to bless you and encourage you in your walk with Jesus.

And I know that someday, just around the corner, maybe a few hills to climb and struggles we may have to go through, as we travel over “The Sunset Mountains” mother will be there waiting for her children with open arms and that lovely smile that she left in our memories.

“Over the sunset mountains someday I’ll softly go into the arms of Jesus who has loved me so.

Chorus:  Over the sunset mountains Heaven awaits for me, over the sunset mountains, Jesus my Savior I’ll see.

Toiling will all be ended, shadows will flee away, sorrow will be forgotten, Oh, what a wonderful day!

Chorus:  Over the sunset mountains Heaven awaits for me, over the sunset mountains, Jesus my Savior I’ll see.

Jesus, my Savior and me, Jesus my Savior I’ll see.  (John W. Petersen and sung by the Statler Brothers).

But before we finish our journey here and as we look forward to seeing Jesus face to face, He has many things to teach us and give us strength for our journey.  The first thought I will share is thoughts from Psalm 37:3-7:  “Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness.  Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Commit your way to the LORD.  Trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.  Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of Him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass.”

First of all, we learn to lean on Jesus.  1) Trust in the LORD, verse 3 – try.  2) Delight yourself in the LORD, verse 4 – Confidence.  3) Commit your way unto the LORD, verse 5 – Priority.  And 4) Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him, verse 7 – stand still.

We learn to trust in the LORD, no matter what the circumstance, just to step out in faith and test and try Him and see what He will do.  And then just delight yourself in Him, just take time to just praise Him and worship Him, just let your soul find confidence in your God.  And then commit your way, your walk to the LORD.  Let Him be your priority in any decision you need to make, let Him be LORD of all your decisions.  And then He calls us to rest in Him and just wait, to stand still and see what God will do, and He will do wonders in your life.  Sometimes we have to just stop.  We need to stop our hurrying around and fretting about what will happen next, and just rest.  And I know that is hard to do.  We live in a hurry, hurry world.  And God is calling us to just rest in Him no matter what is going  on around you or in our world and nation, or how wicked men seem to be.

And someday my friends, we will end our journey here and find eternal rest in His arms.  And Jesus our Savior we will see. 

I pray, my friends, that you are on this journey with Jesus, leaning on Him, trusting on Him, and have committed your way to Him.  If not, please make that decision today, right now.  He is waiting for you.  He loved you so much He died for you, shed His precious blood for your sins.  All He calls you to do is repent of your sins, and that means to turn around and go the other direction, in other words, He will give you a new life, make your heart brand new.  What a joy to walk with Jesus down this road towards our heavenly home, and I pray to meet you there someday. 

In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OH, FOR JUST A GLIMPSE OF JESUS!

OH, FOR JUST A GLIMPSE

OF JESUS!     

As we enter this lovely fall season, the days are getting shorter and soon it will be dark early, and the days will become dark and dreary and cold.  As I take my husband to work early in the morning it is still dark, as only a few weeks ago we enjoyed the rising of the sun at that hour.

And just as it is getting darker as the season changes, the world around us is growing spiritually darker. The darkness of sin surrounds us, and it is growing darker as violence increases and men tremble in fear for those things coming on the earth, as wars and violence continue to increase.  And I hear of much sickness and despair in people’s lives.  Some are filled with grief and do not know where to turn in their sorrow.  Men and women have lost their hope, their peace, their joy.  I despair for the next generation should the Lord tarry in His return.

As I shop in stores, or in places to observe people, I notice people’s faces.  And as I look on them, I wonder what grief that person is experiencing.  Do they have problems which seem too difficult to solve?  Has that person received news that medical test results were not good, and they fear for their future?  There could be any number of burdens and trouble that people around me are going through.  I also wonder how many of those people know the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, and are walking in faith through great trials, knowing that He is the answer to all of life’s struggles.

Where is our hope in these turbulent times?  Are you, my friend, facing difficult days?  And let me tell you that there is hope.  There is hope for you, my friend, and all those rushing around in stores, trying to fill the empty place in their hearts with things that don’t satisfy, and hope for those in cars as the traffic goes by. 

I recall an old chorus we used to sing and it goes like this:

 What the world needs is Jesus,

Just a glimpse of Him;

What the world needs is Jesus,

Just a glimpse of Him;

He will bring joy and gladness,

Take away sin and sadness;

What the world needs is Jesus,

Just a glimpse of Him.

(Benjamin A. Bauer)

Yes, people’s hearts are empty and dry, but just one glimpse of Jesus will fill hearts to overflowing, and satisfy that empty place inside.  “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” Isaiah 55:1-2.

When we are bowed down in sin and sadness, we need to look up at the cross, and see our Lord there as He suffers and dies for our sins, and realize the sacrifice of love He made for you for me, and for the whole world.  Our minds cannot comprehend that kind of love:  that God would send His only Son to the cross to take upon Himself the sin of the whole world, as the spotless Lamb of God.  And the world needs only to look up from the darkness of this world and see that cross lifted up.  (See John 12:32).

“Did you ever notice the peculiar and wonderful shape of the cross?  The foot points to the earth and humility, and to the fountain filled with blood, as though it were saying:  “Come, poor, tired, troubled, sin-sick soul.  Lay down your burden; plunge into the fountain filled with blood.  Here is cleansing for the filthy, pardon for the sinful, rest for the weary, peace for the troubled, relief for the oppressed, freedom for the captive.  Just throw yourself down at the feet of Jesus and He will make you whole.”

The top of the cross points upward toward the sky and Heaven, as though saying:  “Lift up your head, poor, weary pilgrim; lift up your eyes to the Heavens above you; lift up the hands that hang down; strengthen the feeble knees; say unto them that are weak, ‘be strong and of good courage’, for He who died upon the tree has gone up yonder, beyond the clouds of glory, to prepare a place for you, that where He is there you may be also.

The two arms of the cross are outstretched as though to gather the whole world into the loving embrace of Him who said:  “Come unto Me, Oh ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved.”  Thank God for such a sign-post to reveal the way of pardon and point out the narrow Heaven-bound road to the sin-sick soul.” (Aimee Semple McPherson-“This is That”

So, my friends, look up to Jesus today and get a glimpse of the Savior, the one who died for you.  Look up to our Resurrected Lord, seated at the right hand of His Father interceding for you.  Look up to the heavens, for Jesus Christ, the King of Glory is coming again in the clouds to take His children home to the mansions He has prepared for them.  He has prepared a glorious place where there will be everlasting peace at last.  So look up to Jesus and receive the gladness and joy that only He can bring.  He has promised to bring light into this troubled world, but glory is coming, Praise the Lord!

“Arise, shine; for your light has come!  And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you.  For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will rise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you”  Isaiah 60:1-2.

In Jesus' Name,
Pastor Sharon

 

 

 

 

 

 

OH, KNEEL AT THE CROSS

 

OH! COME KNEEL AT THE CROSS!

When I wrote this, I looked out my window, on a very warm August afternoon, I saw Thunderclouds forming in the distance.  I sensed the mighty power of God in His creation!  The seasons come and go as He wills.  Now the lovely Fall season is upon us.  I think of those around me in my world who do not know this wonderful Creator personally. 

They do not know that Father God sent His Son, Jesus, to save us from our sins, and has prepared a wonderful place for us in His Heavenly home.  And how I long to tell everyone about Jesus, that He is the only answer to the problems of this world, and the problems each of us face every day.  I meet many in the nursing home who are in desperate condition, and long for a touch from His Precious hand.  I also have met some who refuse this Wonderful Lord, refuse the Wonderful salvation that He accomplished on the cross.

Jesus is calling, calling today, my friends.  Why do you wait?  He is calling you to just “Kneel at the Cross.”  He will meet you right there.

“Kneel at the cross, Christ will meet you there, come while He waits for you; list to His voice, leave with him your care and begin life anew.

Kneel at the cross, leave every care; kneel at the cross, Jesus will meet you there.

Kneel at the cross, there is room for all who would His glory share; bliss there awaits, harm can ne’er befall those who are anchored there.

Kneel at the cross, give your idols up, look unto realms above; turn not away to life’s sparkling cup, trust only in His love.”  (Charles E. Moody)

When we take that step of faith, and faithfully kneel before him, leaving our sins and heartaches there at the cross, a miracle will happen in your life, life begins anew.  I remember the day I accepted Jesus into my heart.  I was 9 years old.  I was raised in church, had Christian parents and grandparents.  Our whole life revolved around the church, but at that age I realized I had not accepted Jesus as my Savior.

An Evangelist had been holding revival meetings in our church, and that night an illustrated sermon was presented.  Some of you may remember the illustrated sermons of past days.  The message that night was on the books being opened in heaven, and there on the stage were giant books, with “Angels” standing nearby looking for names that are written in the Book of Life. (See Revelation 20:11-15.)   And I knew, even as a little girl that my name was not written there.  And I made my way down to the altar and knelt at the cross that night.

Being raised in a Christian home didn’t save me.  I had to kneel at the cross for myself.  I remember vividly the next day it seemed like the sky was brighter, the trees and the whole world seemed new to me.  I had been changed into a new creature in Christ Jesus.  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” 2 Corinthians 5:17.

Do you want to share in His glory today?  Do you long for the peace and joy that He brings in the midst of a dark and sinful world?  As we walk this journey of life, there are many trials and heartaches, and many would try to go it alone without Jesus.  And I often wonder how a person can go through great tragedy and despair without Jesus to walk that road with him/her?  Great joy awaits each person who kneels at the cross.  Oh, in walking this road with Jesus, there will be trials of all kinds, storms and heartaches, but oh, what joy to know He is right there in the storm, walking with us! 

But as it is written:  “eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” 1 Corinthians 2:9.

 When you answer His call and kneel at the cross, confessing your sins, giving up those things which have become idols in your life.  Idols in your life can mean anything that has kept you from serving Jesus, the sin which has separated you from Him.  He will wash away all your sin in the blood of the cross, and give you new life and a joyful future with Him forever.

So, I call you today, to stop what you are doing, and just kneel there at the cross, the cross of Calvary, where new life begins, new life in Christ Jesus.  You will have a new desire to serve Him, to read His Word, to have fellowship with other believers.  And you will have the assurance that He will be with you every step of the way, as you walk this pathway toward your heavenly home.  Praise the Lord!

In the Name of Jesus,

Pastor Sharon

 

 

 

 

 

WILL YOU THROW OUT THE LIFELINE?

WILL YOU THROW OUT

THE LIFELINE?

As I was sitting out on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in August, watching the people under their umbrellas and in their lawn chairs,  I was suddenly aware that many, many of them are lost without God.  They go on with their lives day after day, feeling that emptiness inside, and try to find “things” and “careers” to fill the void in their lives.  Some have known the Lord in the past and have drifted away from the things of God.  They are drifting, drifting farther and farther away from the shoreline of safety, as the waves of sin and despair crash around them.

Here I am on this Sunday morning, missing my own fellowship with my church family, and realize that many, many of these people out on the beach have not been in church, and some only see the church doors during holiday seasons, weddings, funerals, etc.  Some are bitter and angry at life, and some scoff at the very God who made them, and the very God who sent His Son to save them from sin and eternal damnation.  Jesus was the Savior that loved them so much and reaches out with loving arms to a lost world.  See them there out on the waves, struggling not to be sucked under by the riptides of life?

Have you ever sat on the beach and watched the Lifeguard at work?  Out there on the sand, as he sits high up in his chair, he watches the waves and the people in them.  He has a whistle that he blows when someone steps out too far into the surf.  I heard that whistle often that day.  And on the side of his chair is a life raft that he can use as a lifeline who someone in distress.  There were hundreds of people that day out in the waves, and I could only see their heads at times as the waves rolled on and on.  My children, husband and grandchildren were out there in the waves. And I pictured a lost and drying world out there on the waves of the sea of life, lost without Jesus!  And then the Lord brought to my mind an old hymn:

Edward S. Ufford was a young pastor of the First Baptist Church in Westwood, a hamlet not far from the city of Boston, Mass., During low waters he could see the remains of an old wreck embedded in the sand.  His mind was often stirred to imagine what had happened that fateful night when the storm tossed vessel was smashed to pieces on the shore. 

Thinking of this one day during the fall or autumn of 1886 he decided to conduct an open air gospel meeting in the village square the following Sunday to warn passers-by- of their spiritual danger.  Returning home afterwards it took him only fifteen minutes to write the first four verses of his famous hymn: “Throw Out the Lifeline.”

“Throw out the lifeline across the dark wave; there is a brother whom someone should save; somebody’s brother! Oh, who then will dare to throw out the lifeline, his peril to share?

 Refrain:  Throw out the lifeline!  Throw out the lifeline?  Someone is drifting away; throw out the lifeline! Throw out the lifeline!  Someone is sinking today.

Throw out the lifeline with hand quick and strong: Why do you tarry, why linger so long?  See! He is sinking; oh, hasten today.  And out of the life board!  Away, then, away!

Throw out the lifeline to danger-fraught men, sinking in anguish where you’ve never been; winds of temptation and billows of woe will soon hurl them out where the dark waters flow, and throw out the lifeline and save them today.

Soon will the season of rescue be o’er, soon will they drift to eternity’s shore; haste, then, my brother, no time for delay, but throw out the lifeline and save them today.”

“Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” Luke 24:46-47. 

What then is the “lifeline” that we are called to throw out to a lost a dying world?  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is God’s ‘lifeline’ to salvation for those perishing  souls out there tossed and thrown on the waves, sinking in despair.  A lifeline is the line or rope or life preserver, that I saw on the Lifeguard’s chair.  Or it is a rope that hangs around the edge of a lifeboat for those in the water to hold, or a rope connected to a lifebuoy that will save someone from peril in the water, or lines around a boat to prevent anyone from going overboard.

People are sinking all around us, lost without Christ.  I look at people’s faces and sometimes see the sadness and despair of life.  Who will go tell them about Jesus?  We, as believers, are all called to throw out the lifeline, sharing the Gospel, telling those around us that Jesus Saves!

If you are reading this today, and you are sinking out there on the dark waves of sin, grasp the lifeline of the Gospel of Jesus Christ today, right now: ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved’ Acts 16:31.

“Father, in the Name of Jesus, I realize that many, many out there are lost on the waves of sin, sinking without hope, but I pray, right now, that many will grasp the lifeline that Jesus is offering, salvation through the blood of Jesus, and a new life beginning in Christ, and saved for all eternity to be forever with the Lord, and to begin that new life as a witness to the power of salvation, and then go and throw out the lifeline to others around them also.  And I pray this in the name of Jesus!  Amen……

Pastor Sharon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANTICIPATE A GREAT DAY COMING!

ANTICIPATING A GREAT

DAY COMING!

As I continue be reminded of our recent journey to the east coast, we are again on the beach, on the Atlantic Ocean.  The beach is packed with people, umbrellas and chairs.  It is Sunday and I would rather be with my church family in worship.  But here I am with my family, and sitting in my chair with my notebook wondering what the Lord will show me this day.  The beach is filled with metaphors reminding me of our walk with the Lord on this journey “home.”

First of all I noticed the “sun worshippers.”  There were many, many of them stretched out on their beach towels or in their chairs soaking up the sun.  But I was reminded of a day coming, when we who love Jesus will be worshipping the “Son.”  As we gather around the crystal sea (Revelation 15:2) our worship will be in joyful praise:

 “They sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb saying:

 Great and marvelous are Your works, Lord God Almighty!

Just and true are Your ways, O King of the saints!

Who shall not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name?

For You alone are holy, for all nations shall come

And worship before You” Revelation 15:3-4.

As we all gather on that glorious day with all the saints from all the ages, we will not be wearing “swim suits” and such, as they were that day as I sat on the beach in Maryland.  But we will be clothed  in beautiful robes, clean and white.  See Revelation 7:9.  And gathered there will be saints from all tribes and nations, and we all will be glorifying our Mighty God, for all the wonderful works He has done for us.  And won’t it be wonderful to see Him face to face?  After all the trials and struggles of this life now, we will finally behold Him in all His glory.  I can hardly wait, can you?

I noticed that the ocean was getting a little choppy, and clouds were gathering, as a storm was coming.  What will we do if “home” is several blocks away?  On this journey of life, as we walk with Jesus, sometimes we feel the wind getting stronger, storm clouds began to gather on the horizon, and we wonder if, in our present circumstances,  how far away is “home.”  “Will I drown in these present circumstances in my life?  Or will I be able to keep my eyes on Jesus and keep my focus on my heavenly home which may be just around the next bend?”

As I walked down to the beach to watch my husband jump some waves along with the grandchildren, I noticed something different about this stretch of beach and others I have seen on the east coast, there is no seaweed!  I have been on beaches in California and in Oregon where the seaweed will wrap itself around your feet if you are not careful.  Some beaches are littered with it.  And if a person is not careful, the seaweed could wrap around your feet and pull you down.  And then there are riptides, and warnings were soon out along the Atlantic Coast of riptides forming because of the hurricane to the south.

What is pulling you under today?  Has the “seaweed” of depression or grief or life threatening illness threatening to pull you under in despair?  Are “riptides” of sin pulling you away from the shore, away from the arms of Jesus?   We live in a world where there is much despair, and fear is gripping even God’s people.  Will you let the fear threatening this world and even our own nation pull you under, and you lose your glimpse of our Precious Lord as He walks the sea, wanting to calm your storm and bring you His peace?  Some of you weep through the dark nights of despair, wondering when daylight will come into your life.  Let the Lord Jesus calm your tears and bring comfort as you read the words of Charles Spurgeon:

“Come, my heart, begin thy hallelujahs!  Weep not all through the night, but wipe thine eyes in anticipation of the morning.  Those tears are dews mean us as much good as sunbeams of morrow.  Tears clear the eyes for the sight of God in His grace and make the vision of His favor more precious!”’

 Yes, my friends, anticipate the morning!  The day is coming when you won’t have to weep through the night, because Jesus will wipe all tears from your eyes.  When those tearful times do come, they cause us to look up into the face of God, our merciful God, and our walk with the Lord becomes even more precious, as we look back and see how far He has led us and the struggles we have gone through.

“That is why we never give up.  Though are bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.  For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long.  Yet they produce for us an immeasurable great glory that will last forever!  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not seen.  For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever” II Corinthians 4:16-18. (NLT)

What precious promises and hope we have in Jesus.  Yes, the storms will come, but my Jesus walks on the waves of the mighty ocean, speaking “peace, peace, be still.”  And as we continue our journey with Him, we are reminded every day, of the great day coming, maybe just around the next bend, or over the next hill.  Cling tight to Him, my friends.  We have a great day coming, and with much anticipation we look forward to that day.  Blessed be His Precious Name!

Pastor Sharon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAUNCH OUT INTO THE MERCY OF GOD

LAUNCH OUT INTO

THE MERCY OF GOD!

Try to picture with me a day at the seashore on the Atlantic Coast.  These beaches have no rocks, as we have on the west coast, just solid sand.  And that sand is packed with thousands of people as you look in both directions.  And each person or family unit is crowded under umbrellas, miles and miles of them, in all colors.  There are children screaming, waves roaring, seagulls hovering over all.  And then there are the planes flying low over the ocean flying their banners to advertise products or motels or hotels offering their services.  The skies on this particular day were hazy and the weather was very warm.

As I sat under our umbrella on this particular day, as our children and grandchildren  were out in the waves, I began to ponder this scene in the light of what the Lord was trying to show me about my walk with a the Lord.  How do all those umbrellas remind me of His tender care and protection, and His mercy?  Is there a message there for me, and for you, as I begin to write down what I observed.

As I sat there watching the rolling sea and the waves crashing upon the shore, I was remembering how God created the mighty oceans and gave them a boundary they couldn’t cross over.  I never tire of watching the sea and just amazed at its mighty depths.  I am reminded of an old hymn, as I see my family members, including my husband frolicking in the waves, and others, like me, prefer to just stand upon the shore, maybe wet my toes a little.  I am reminded of God’s unlimited mercy, like a rolling sea:

 LAUNCH OUT

"The mercy of God is an ocean divine, a boundless and fathomless flood; launch out in the deep, cut away the shoreline, and be lost in the fullness of God.

CHORUS:  Launch out into the deep, oh, let the shoreline go.  Launch out, launch out in the ocean divine, out where the full tides flow.

But many, alas! Only stand on the shore and gaze on the ocean so wide; they never have ventured its depths to explore, or to launch on its fathomless tide.

And others just venture away from the land, and linger so near to the shore, that the surf and the slime that beat over the strand, dash o’er them in floods ever more.

Oh, let us launch out on this ocean so broad, where floods of salvation  e’re  flow; oh, let us be lost in the mercy of God, till the depths of His fullness we know."  (Albert B. Simpson)

“O give thanks unto the LORD; for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever” I Chronicles 16:34.

The word mercy appears 261 times in the King James Version of the Bible.  The phrase, “His mercy endureth forever” is repeated 35 times in the Old Testament.  Why do you think it is repeated so often?  Perhaps so we never forget that we are in need of God’s mercy daily.

 If today, you feel like your sin is so big that God can’t or won’t forgive you, He invites you to launch right out into the waves of His mercy and just be lost in all the fullness of God.  God’s mercy is so great, that He invites us to walk right in and let His mercy overflow your heart with His love, and He wants that for you my friend.  Our merciful God sent His Son to die on the cross for you, shed His precious blood for you, wherever you are.  His love and mercy is always flowing, and is flowing now to you.

Whatever situation you are in right now, God’s mercy is flowing, and invites you to, by faith to enter that ocean of His divine mercy.  “God’s mercy is boundless, free and, through Jesus Christ our Lord, available to us now in our present situation.” (A.W. Tozer).

I felt His presence there on the beach and as I pondered on His mercy and His love,   He was the “Gentle “Ocean Breeze” filling my day.  He was my “Sonshine” shining through the hazy clouds.  He is the shade on my right hand as I sit under my umbrella.  He is “Peace” as I recall remembering how He walked on the sea and calmed the waves.  I remember as I feel the sand beneath my feet of His promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:17 in that his descendants would number more than the sand on the seashore.  Can you count grains of sand in even a handful?

Yes, we serve a loving and merciful God, and “mercy” is just one of God’s attributes.  As I pondered those things I felt about Him, and watched the mighty Atlantic Ocean roll, that all that He is can never be measured, nor can we comprehend Almighty God.

“He drew a circular horizon on the face of the waters, at the boundary of light and darkness. The pillars of heaven tremble, and are astonished at His rebuke. He stirs up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He breaks up the storm.  By His Spirit He adorned the heavens; His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways, and how small a whisper we hear of Him!  But the thunder of His power who can understand? “(Job 26:10-14).

 In Jesus’ Name,

Pastor Sharon