Walking on Hight Hills

Though the fig tree may not blossom, Nor fruit be 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.
Habakkuk 3:17-19

Habakkuk was a prophet in the 7th century BC, during a time when the nation of Israel was in a state of moral and religious decay.  The rise of the brutal Babylonian empire was a grave threat to all nations, and the Chaldean general (and future leader of Babylon) Nebuchadnezzar was marching towards Jerusalem.  God told Habakkuk that He was going to use the Babylonians to chastise the nation of Isral, and Habakkuk was watching it all happen.

Yet in the midst of this turmoil, Habakkuk makes the statement “Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.” 

Wow. On the verge of an invasion by a ruthless army, Habakkuk is talking about how joyful he is.  That tells me something:  Our thankfulness and joy don’t have to be tied to our circumstances. However many times, our joy is totally tied to our circumstances. 

We are thankful for the blessings of God in our lives:  Family, food, shelter, our church, our health.  But what if something has knocked us off the road? What if we are going through a hard time?  What if we are seeing our nation and culture fall into a slow fade of moral and religious decay?  What then?  We’re supposed to still be thankful, right? We’re supposed to just focus us in on God, and by some magical act we'll be thankful again.

Maybe it’s that easy.  Or maybe there is something more called for. I believe that there is another key component to the process of how we can be not only thankful and joyful in times of difficulty, but actually empowered!  And I believe part of the secret is found in 1 Peter 4:19:

And I believe part of the secret is found in 1 Peter 4:19:

Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.  1 Peter 4:19

Join us Sunday for “Walking on High Hills”

Till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay

The Fig Tree

Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it but leaves, and said to it, "Let no fruit grow on you ever again." Immediately the fig tree withered away.  Matt 21:18-19

Walk through an apple orchard and look at some of the fruit trees, they'll be full of fruit.  Sweet, juicy fruit!  Exactly the kind of trees that you would expect.  But what if you walked up to an apple tree and there was no fruit?  Not one apple.  Nada. You would wonder, "What is wrong with that tree? Why doesn't it have fruit?"

Our lives as Christians should be like those healthy fruit trees, bearing forth fruit that will be a blessing to those around us. If not, maybe we need to figure out why.

Join us Sunday as we explore the account of the fig tree.

Pastor Clay

The Implanted Word

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.  James 1:19-25

There always seems to be one little phrase that jumps out at me in a text.  Tucked in between the exhortations "lay aside all filthiness", and "be doers of the word, and not hearers only" is this little phrase "receive with meekness the implanted word." The NIV calls it "the word planted in you." To me it paints a mental picture of a seed being planted. But this seed is not being planted in the soil of the earth, but into the soil of our hearts (RE: Matt 13).

Just a little reminder that when we read and meditate on Gods word, we're not just reading, we are planting the very wisdom and nature of God into our hearts and minds. We are planting seeds of wisdom and righteousness that will spring forth with life and fruit. The fruit is the action that we take, the work we do, the ministry that flows.  The person that does this "is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does."

PC

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