No Fear, Never Shaken

Praise the LORD. Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands. His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
Ps 112

As I read through the many awesome promised listed in this Psalm, one statement really jumps out at me:

Surely he will never be shaken …He will have no fear of bad news …his heart is steadfast … he will have no fear.

I get this mental picture of a muscular man, chiseled features, dressed in battle gear, outnumbered and surrounded, yet having no fear whatsoever.  He is ready to face his enemies with strength and honor.  As men we love that image, because we want to identify with that.  We want to be physically strong, and pound all of our adversaries!

But I believe that greater value lies in spiritual strength.  I believe the psalm speaks not to physical strength, but the spiritual strength that comes from the fear of the Lord.  On the surface it’s a strange concept:  Fear God, become strong. 

How does strength come from fear?
Because the “fear” being described here is not fear like you would feel for a snake or a wild animal, but is better described as “awe” or “reverence”.  When acknowledge the might, the power, the majesty, of the Living God, who is our heavenly Father, we come to a realization that we are under His protection.  We are filled with His power and might. 2 Tim 1:7 comes to mind: 

For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
 
This is true strength – spiritual strength – the strength to face any problem, and bad news, and trial, that might come before us. 

Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. (Eph 6:10)

Pastor Clay

Give thanks in ALL things

...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thess 5:18

As Christians, we know to thank God when things are going well.  But do we thank God when things aren't going well?  What about when we're hard-pressed on every side, perplexed, persecuted, struck down... (2 Cor 4:8)?

Do we see God working in the difficult times?  Paul makes this statement to "give thanks in *all* circumstances," not some... but ALL! But how can I do that? How can I give thanks when I'm down?

I believe the answer is in recognizing that God is sovereign.  Recognizing that nothing comes into our lives that has not been filtered through the hands of our loving God. Even the hard times.  Even the tribulations that we have brought on ourselves.

If God is truly over all, then He knew this situation would come into my life.  He watched if I made wrong decisions that brought me to this place. Instead of sheltering me from the repercussions, He allowed it to come into my life so that I would learn. So that I would be strengthened. So that I would lean on Him for my comfort and strength.  It is always God's will for me to grow, and it is usually through adversity that I grow.

And in the end, I am stronger, wiser, my faith has increased, and God is glorified.

A Day in the Temple

"It is written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer,' but you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  

Matt 21:13

 

Within a cash register tape's width of the front door, the merchandising begins. Scripture verses dress up ceramic flowers and figurines. A dove logo makes a standard purple candle into a “prayer candle.” Tiny red-and-white life preservers announce that "Jesus Saves." Bookmarks, bracelets, and assorted bric-a-brac ask "What Would Jesus Do?"   Hmmm, what would Jesus do if He walked into one of these stores, or worse, into the lobby of some of our churches?  Is our faith now defined by the merchandising industry?

 

OK, I won’t crack too hard on the nail-cross pendant business, but I think the bigger question that begs to be answered is this:  How do we present our faith to the world around us?  See the issue that day in the temple was not that it was a sin to sell something to a person of faith, but rather the effect that it had on those who came to worship the Living God.  

 

Join us Sunday as we look at a day in the temple.

 

Till the whole world hears...

 

Pastor Clay

 

Upside Down

Ahh, the perks of leadership: Big office, your name on the door, underlings to boss around, sitting at the front of the important meetings.  And did I mention those underlings you get to boss around???

Our world has a perspective of “getting to the top” that includes perks and privileges.  People relish achieving a certain position or title so you can have authority, and tell other people what to do.  But Jesus made a really interesting statement in Matthew 20:  “"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them.  Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.”  Once again Jesus is pointing out one of those little ‘differences’ between the world kingdoms and God’s kingdom.

In the world system, you work to become great so that you can receive power and privilege.

In God’s system you serve others, and in doing so you become great.

Sounds kind of upside down, doesn’t it?  But which one is upside down, and which one is right-side up?  Join us Sunday as we explore God’s promotion system.

 

Till the whole world hears...

 Pastor Clay