THE REMINDER

From Pastor Bruce’s Desk:

Source of Thankfulness

When I was in high school the youth group was occasionally in charge of the Wednesday night prayer meeting. In that prayer meeting we learned to lead singing, lead in sharing time and in prayer. I remember one time when we were leading we asked the group to give their praise by finishing a sentence like, “I am thankful because….” It is a way to become thankful by reciting the reasons that we are thankful.

The reason the Israelites stumbled in the wilderness was they soon forgot the goodness of the Lord. They forgot the provisions from God whenever they faced a new need in their life. Moses (Deuteronomy 1-4) took time to recite the history of the wilderness journey so they would not forget. The song writer Johnson Oatman, Jr. reminds us that we should count our blessings.

“Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done. Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your many blessing see what God hath done.”

I remember one marriage counseling session I had early in my ministry. The couple had come to me after 20 some years of marriage on the verge of collapse. I was not sure I could do anything to help them or not. So I asked them what they saw in each other in the beginning of their relationship. As they started to tell me what they used to like about each other, I could see the sparkle come back in their eyes. They discovered they really loved each other even after all the arguments and pain. Memory of the good things and times is a cornerstone in our lives.

The Psalmist uses many songs to help the people recall the great things God has done for them. It seem that many of the Psalms are dedicated to the recalling of the goodness of the Lord. One that reminds me of all the good things that God has done for us in Psalm 103.

Of David. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalms 103:1-5 ESV)

I often think of the power of scripture to touch a heart. When I visit in the nursing home and I read this passage, the response is often, “How true”. Yes it is true we should not forget all the benefits that the good Lord showers upon us every day, every month and every year.

The fullest list of benefits that I find in scripture is the list found in Isaiah 53. They all come from Jesus’ sacrifice of Himself for us. Let us recount them again.

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried…; But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed…. But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. Isaiah 53:4-6

NASB

This is the source of our giving of thanks the work of Christ on the Cross for all His benefits

In Christ's service and yours,

Pastor Bruce

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From Pastor Tom’s Desk:

Dear Church Family,

As I watch the clouds role past and the sun break in between with a light that makes me need my sunglasses, I want to praise God for the many blessing that I have received as of late. Not to long ago, I had flowers to share with different members of the church family and now they are almost all gone. God is preparing the bulbs by sending the nourishment into the roots so that they can be stored over the winter months and then replanted next spring. This will begin the next growing season if I am able to keep the bulbs from drying up. Then we will start all over again and share what bulbs I have and hope for the beauty of the flowers to share once again. Sometimes it is hard for me to pull up those last plants because I want to see if I can get one more flower, or one more bean or whatever it is. It seems as if I don’t want to follow the plan that God has for the life of the plants, but I want more from them and He says that they have done enough.

This reminds me of the scripture from Ecclesiastes 3: "A time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to keep and a time to throw away,…a time to love and a time to hate." Now as we approach the time of Thanks Giving, we should look at all of our times and realize that in all things, we should give God praise and thanks. He has set things in motion and by this we see His love for us. His plans do come through as he paints the leaves in beauty and prepares them to take a Sabbath and renew over the winter months.

How often do we want to do more than God has planned for us to do? And then there are the times that we do not listen and therefore do nothing that He has prepared ahead of time for us to do? Sometimes we try to push harder then we were meant to push, just like I do with the flowers. We run ahead of God’s plans and then when we are out there alone; we wonder why He is not with us. How often do we take a wrong turn when God has gone straight? Then; as we turn and look for God; He is right behind us, waiting for us to return to his strength and guidance. Does this ring a bell with you?

In time of prayer, I praise him for his love and tolerance for my impetuous actions. It is my desire to work for the Kingdom of God and share the Good News with others, but I sometimes fill my time with just good things that may not make a difference in eternity. From this filling of my time, I may miss opportunities to share the story of Christ and his love for others because I am too busy and do not recognizes these open doors. There have been times that I just run out of energy to share; even if I see an open door. Perhaps you too feel this way with all the good things that you do for family, friends and those at the Church. One thing that I know for sure is this:

Psalm 40:31 "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. When we wait upon the Lord and put our Hope in him then He will guild our steps, help us not to waste time and energy, and will fill us with His energy." As we wait to hear from God, let us give him thanks for all that He has done for us. Our very breath is a gift, the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and all so much more. Even the cold of the winter is something we should thank God for as we lift him up with praises. Take time to sit before Him and just give Him thanks for creating and renewing us. May you be lifted on the wings like eagles.

Pastor Tom