Reflections of sermon by David Wise 9-15-13

Dear Friends,

 As I read the letters of Paul, I am always encouraged by the way he opens each one by telling those he is writing to that he always gives thanks for them. I have come to understand his feelings a little better as I have worked at sending out these letters each week (almost). God is building that same kind of thanksgiving in my heart for each of you, along with the sincere prayer that he will show you His mercy and give you His peace in each of your situations.

Jeannie and I are still working at recovering from our traveling pains. I guess it just takes a lot longer when we get older. I have been thinking a lot about people who are in constant pain and have been encouraged to pray.

Sunday was the kick off day for the opening of the season of small group meetings. They stop having them in the summer and then start them back up in the fall. The message was directed toward building community and the importance of being part of each other’s lives. Then after the second service there was a really nice lunch served and a presentation promoting small groups and encouraging everyone to sign up for one.

David began his message by saying that small groups is something RVCC is passionate about, because we cannot really become close to one another meeting for an hour in a large group. But small groups of people getting together can get to know each other and care for the needs of each other more genuinely.

David read from John 15:1-4:

I am the True Vine, and My Father is the Vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every one that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.

Grape vines are kind of amazing. One vine can produce over 80 pounds of fruit in a season. They can do this and remain alive even in drought conditions because they have extremely deep roots, sometimes reaching 150 feet down and out to find the water and nutrients needed to produce the fruit.

In the same way Jesus is the true vine for our spiritual life. If we abide in him we will have life that produces fruit that is beneficial to all. His roots go all the way to the Father of all life. And from the Father he supplies nourishment for our life if we stay connected to him.

David also pointed out the part about pruning. Pruning is often not pleasant but our Father does it anyway just as we disciplined our own children for their good. Probably we didn’t do it always with their best interest in mind but God ALWAYS has our best interest at heart and only prunes or disciplines us so we can be more fruitful.

Branches that are not pruned bear less and less fruit until they bear no fruit at all. Then the branches become weak and eventually die. So it will be with us, and if we can learn to accept the pruning with thanksgiving God will use it to make us more fruitful.

In the hall of the church building are 3 banners that form 1 larger banner. The center banner shows the form of a tree with branches reaching up and out at the top and roots reaching down and out into each of the other 2 banners at the bottom. The banner on the left says “Connect”, reminding us that we must be connected to the root that is Christ. The center banner says “Grow” and the silhouette of the tree reaching up and out signifies our growth in Christ. Then the banner on the right says “Serve” encouraging us to serve Christ by serving one another.

Each of us is pruned of God in some way, that we may bear more fruit. Sometimes it seems there is nothing that I can do, but in my spirit I always hear, “You can pray.” We can each of us in our own place speak to our Father and care for the church and one another in prayer. Please remember the leaders of RVCC as they work to help us grow, and as they work through the transition from Russell to David being the senior minister. I am sure there are other needs that you know of. The greatest need that we each have is to grow closer to Jesus and to our Father in Heaven. I do thank God for each of you as I write these letters and as I address and prepare each one to be sent. Then through the week often God will bring you to mind and I will pray with thanksgiving for each one.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Be Faithful in your place

Rogue Valley Christian Church: message from 8/11/13

  I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. (Psalms 121:1-2)

What an uplifting verse! But the question arises; Do you, do I, truly look to the Lord in times of trouble? Or do we look to other resources. When there is financial stress, where do we look for the help we need? When there are relationship problems, where do we look. In times of sickness, where do we truly go first for help? Or do we treat him like technical support, and after we have tried all other resources then we call on God.

After reading this passage Russell told a story that is found in II Chronicles 16; about Asa king of Judah, that God wanted to bless, but he would not turn to God. Instead he took the gold and precious stones from the temple and bribed the ally of his enemy. This worked for that present situation but God sent his prophet to Asa and told him that because he did not rely on God he would have wars for the rest of his life and it was so. For the eyes of Jehovah run to and fro through the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward him. (2 Chronicles 16:9) Asa was so angry that he put God’s prophet in prison. Later when his feet were seriously infected he still would not call on the Lord. And so he died.

In Luke 7 we see two stories that were extremely different. In Capernaum there was a Roman centurion that had a servant that was ill, and that servant was very dear to him. When he heard that Jesus was coming he sent some of the leaders of the synagogue to him requesting that he would come to heal the servant. The Jewish leaders said that the centurion was worthy because he loved the people of Israel and had built them a synagogue.

Russell pointed out the contrast between the two men. Asa was a king in Judah and should have logically called upon the Lord for help, but he refused. The centurion was part of the occupying army of Rome and considered the enemy of God’s people. The centurion turned to God’s people to request help from this Jewish prophet, Jesus. And he did not seek help for himself but for a servant.

Jesus said he would go and as he was going the centurion sent some of his friends to Jesus to say that he was not worthy that Jesus should even come into his house, and he did not feel worthy to even come to Jesus. But if Jesus would just say the word he knew his servant would be healed, because he was also a man under authority. He understood that authority only comes from submission to authority. And Jesus authority was derived from his submission to God and therefore he had authority to do this without being with the servant.

It says that Jesus marveled because of this man’s faith. Russell pointed out that there is only one other time that it says Jesus marveled and that was in Mark 6:6 where it says he marveled because of their unbelief. But in this case Jesus said, “I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel.” What a profound compliment for this man.

God is not impressed with anything we can do or accomplish. God is impressed when we have faith.

But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6)

Russell said, “faith is a conclusion we come to based on examining the evidence before us. We follow that evidence toward that which we do not see.” Faith and action go together. We do not impress God by our actions but at the same time our faith that pleases God will result in action.

Russell told a story of faith that occurred in our own church family. Samantha and Matt were expecting a baby. After the doctors did some tests and then did some of them again they came in and told them that their baby would surely have problems if he could even be born alive. He would be disfigured and probably mentally handicapped. they advised that she have an abortion. Sam and Matt prayed about this for a while, but came to the conclusion that they would let God decide and she would carry this baby as long as God wanted. Rylan was born with many complications but he lived to go through many procedures and miracles. Finally there was a problem with his liver and he was sent to Portland. In Portland they were told that Rylan would have to have a very dangerous procedure and probably would not survive. It worked out that Russell and David Wise were in Portland and stopped by the hospital to visit and heard the news. They gathered around Matt and Sam and prayed that God would glorify Himself in baby Rylan in such a way that the doctors would have to acknowledge it. The next day the doctors informed them that somehow Rylan’s kidneys were functioning normally and the procedure would be unnecessary. Rylan is home in Medford and was at church yesterday. To the glory of God!

They believed in God and cried out to him for help, then went toward the help they sought. God can go where we cannot go and do what we cannot do. We need to rely on him in all of our need and trial to help us in ways no one else can.

Further on is the story of the widow whose son had died. (Luke 7:11-16) This is another amazing story of Jesus miracles, but the thing Russ pointed out here was that it says of Jesus, “He had compassion on her.” What a wonderful thing to think about. What a wonderful truth to realize, and apply in our daily life. God cares for us. (1 Peter 5:7

This last week has been difficult for the Vaughn family. Shannon was planning to go with the team to India this week, but her back went out and there seems no help for it. They prayed and called the elders but it is not any better, so she will not be going. This was a big disappointment, but they are believing that God cares for them and knows what is best.

And this is the challenge for the week. Seek to have a renewed and increased confidence in God’s love and care.

Rest in Philippians 4:4-8

 Once again I am writing from beautiful humid Oklahoma. I started working again at the church here. I took a couple weeks off because my back was hurting and I couldn’t straighten up once I bent over. All better now and I am not trying to work as long as I was at a stretch. Seems I’m getting to be a wimp, maybe just old. I enjoy being outside in the mornings and the weeds show me how persistent sin can be. Here there is a lot of Bermuda grass. I hate even calling it grass, but it is green and it thrives. Bermuda, grows and spreads by sending runners above ground and roots under ground. So, it is in the flower beds where we don’t want it. That’s my job pulling and digging it out. But you just cannot get all of the roots so it will always pop back up and if you leave it alone it will spread again and thrive. So you see how it is like sin that hides in our lives and we can attack it with our will and get the best of it for a time but it will pop out again when we don’t expect it.

Sunday Russell says he finished Luke 6. He also said that we could probably stay there for a few more weeks otherwise. I agree, there is a lot in this chapter to work on. But then I am kind of a slow student of God’s Word. At any rate he took a look at the last few verses of the chapter, calling it sort of an orientation speech for the 12 apostles that he chose and we heard a little about last week.

Beginning in verse 27 it basically says, “You who are listening, live out love.” that was sort of Russell’s version. He pointed out that it begins with, “You, the ones who are listening.” So many good and profitable things are said, but because no one is listening there is little benefit. Russell prayed that we would hear the things we need to hear in the message he shared. I pray that also for you as you read my reflections on his message. Whether some one is speaking or we are reading the written word if we are not paying attention to understand the thing we need, it will do us no good.

Covering verses 27 to 49 Russell said we were going to get sort of the Google Earth view of the things Jesus said. What is the primary impression we can get from this section. That primary impression is that we are to love our enemies, love those who are contrary, love those who oppose us. Loving our friends is no big deal Jesus wants us to take it up a notch or two.

Russell pointed out that verse 31 is commonly called the golden rule. “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” This is the sum and substance of this command. He pointed out that we don’t need to like someone in order to love them. He also pointed out that anyone who has been married for sometime knows this is true. And so when it says to bless (vs.28) or speak well of, or to turn the other cheek (vs.29), and to give to those who ask of you (vs. 30) we see practical application of this instruction.

NOTE: Russell pointed out that some of Jesus’ teachings were exaggerated to make the point and emphasize the seriousness of the command. He did not imply that we should receive brutality from others as acceptable.

The phrase he used was, “Love others more than your own pride.” He also said, “Love to the extreme and be children of your heavenly father.” Look at verse 36.

Russell mentioned that if you want to see a good illustration of love your enemy you might consider the book “The Shack”. He said he didn’t necessarily agree with all the spiritual teaching but the spirit of loving our enemies is very well illustrated.

Russell spent some time talking about the Old Testament book of Hosea. In this book God illustrated His love and mercy in the life of the man Hosea. God commanded him to marry a prostitute. This shows how God continually showed mercy to the children of Israel even though they repeatedly turned their backs to him and served other gods. This is the kind of love God desires to develop in us; His kind of love.

Also in Psalms 103:9-12 we can see God’s great mercy demonstrated.

Then in verse 37 of Luke 6 is the verse that nearly every one knows whether they are Christians or not. Well they at least know the first part, “Judge not,” . Compare this with Matthew 7:1-2 and you will see a little clearer picture of the intention of Jesus’ statement.

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.”

And so we can see again the application of the “golden rule”. Judge as you would wish to be judged. And we can see nearly the same words repeated in verse 38. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. We are all prone to falling short of God’s will and we aught to be merciful to one another. The agape love that God shows us is the love he wishes to develop in each of us. The only way to accomplish this is by his grace working in us in the obedience of faith.

Jesus spoke of the splinter in my brothers eye and the beam in mine. How silly of me to try to help my brother before I get the beam out of my own eye. The blind cannot lead the blind. Both will fall into the ditch. the disciple is not greater than his master but everyone that is perfected is like his master. Jesus is the Master. Jesus can see clearly. I must set my mind to follow Jesus and do his will. Then I will be able to see good fruit coming forth. Not because of my virtue but by the virtue of the Spirit of God working in me, to his glory.

Time Magazine asked several prominent authors to answer the question; “What’s wrong with the world today.” Among those that they asked was G.K. Chesterton, a prominent Catholic writer and philosopher of that time. His answer was, “I am.” This is the attitude we each should have. My problem is me.

There is a tremendous amount of material here and I hope I have conveyed a small portion of it in an understandable way. I believe that God’s will for us is always the same, and that is that we become like his son Jesus. If we seek him, He will do it. What a wonderful Gospel.

Always be encouraged to Faithfulness

Grace: The divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.

Over and over I hear that we will get to heaven because of Jesus death on the cross and not because of anything we do. I hear, “You can’t earn your way into heaven.” All of this implies that I am without responsibility. What does the Word of God say?

Someone will say, “We are not under law we are under grace.” Now lets look at what God’s word says about “under grace.” Romans 6:14-15 is the only place that phrase appears in the New Testament, so what does it say.

“For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.  What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid” kjv

So  here you have it. Grace is not a get out of jail free card. Grace is not a pass. This creates a larger problem. What is grace? Let us see if we can find any clues in God’s Word. The first time we see the word grace in God’s Word is in Genesis 6:8.

“And Noah found grace in the eyes of The Lord.”

What happened next? Do you know? He was given something to DO. It was not some little thing like raise your hand or say these words. This job took him and his sons 100 years. All of the cute pictures of the ark are something of an insult to what Noah and his sons had to do. And they did it without any power tools and no lumber yard to deliver the lumber. So how big was this ark? The best I can figure it was 547 feet long and a little over 91 feet wide and 54 feet high. It had 3 levels and each level had rooms. that is over 149,000 square feet of floor space. Oh, and it is free standing, not on a foundation and coated inside and out with tar for waterproofing.

Grace didn’t leave Noah with nothing to do!

In Exodus 33 beginning in verse 16 the term grace appears several times. Each time it seems that it could be a synonym of favor. But once again we see that Moses is given something to do. In Exodus 34:1 God says to Moses, “Hew thee two tables of stone like the first and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which you broke.”

If you are not familiar with this story it is the story of how God delivered the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt. How they came to be in bondage is another story. All of these stories are to help us see how God deals with His people.

In the King James Bible the word ‘grace’ appears 39 times in the Old Testament and 131 times in the New Testament.

In the New Testament grace first appears in reference to Jesus in Luke 2:40. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him. Here the word grace is a the same Greek word that we use when speaking of the gifts of the spirit (charis). This is the word in every appearance in the New Testament King James Bible.

GRACE: The divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.

This is the most complete statement that I can find in Strong’s Concordance and Greek Dictionary. Since that is the case lets use that definition and see if it works. I hope I am not violating any rules of proper Bible study if I modify the definition slightly in order to make it usable in our comparison. I will simply eliminate some words and change it to; “divine influence upon the heart, reflected in the life.”

And so beginning with the first appearance of the word grace and looking at a few more references, let us see if this definition will work.

Speaking of Jesus in Luke 2:40 it says, “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God (“divine influence upon the heart, reflected in the life.”) was upon him.”

Also speaking of Jesus in John 1:14 it says, “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace (“divine influence upon the heart, reflected in the life.”) and truth.” I notice that the verse unmodified says “and we beheld”. Something was visible!

Then in verses 16 and 17 we see how this grace applies to us. “And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace (“divine influence upon the heart, reflected in the life.”)(is this grace to the second power?). For the law was given by Moses, but grace (“divine influence upon the heart, reflected in the life.”)  and truth came by Jesus Christ.

This is even spoken of in the Old Testament. In Jeremiah 31:33, God proclaims “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, says the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.” This seems to me to be a perfect illustration of the definition of grace, in prophesy.

In the book of Acts it speaks of the early Christians and in Acts 4:33 it says, “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace (“divine influence upon the heart, reflected in the life.”) was upon them all.”

Later in Acts 11:23, When Barnabas went to Antioch it speaks again of grace, “... when he came, and had seen the grace of God (“divine influence upon the heart, reflected in the life,) was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.”

OK, all of that is fine, but how does it apply to being “saved by grace?” This phrase or a form of this phrase only occurs in Ephesians 2 in verses 4-5 and 8. In both instances the definition is almost stated if you read them in context. But you must realize that the context goes at least to the end of chapter 3. Paul was really wordy. Anyway lets plug our definition in here and see how it agrees with the sense of what is being said.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love with which He loved us (even when we were dead in sins) has made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved),” The definition of grace; “divine influence upon the heart, reflected in the life”, seems to fit in well with God making us alive. That would surely be a divine influence upon the heart.

Again in verse 8; “For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” If grace is a ‘divine influence’, how could anyone take credit or boast of any result as though they were the source of the power.

But now I begin to see a proper relationship between grace and all of the commands of the New Testament: Matthew 5:48, “Therefore be perfect, even as you Father in Heaven is Perfect.”; in Philippians 2:12, “...work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” ; Romans 12:2, “...but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.”; and there are many more which if you have looked may have given you some problems.

In Hebrews 4:16 with the help of our definition there may be some clarity.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

At the throne of “divine influence upon the heart” we can find the help to be transformed and become like Jesus"its reflection in life". It will never come about by acts of our will and when it does occur we will only be able to follow the example of the demoniac, and tell all men what wonderful things God has done for us. (Mark 5:1-20)

Surely it is Jesus; as it says; “but as many as received him, to them gave he POWER to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, BUT OF GOD.”

GRACE: The divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.

NOTE: I use the King James Bible because I am use to it and it is commonly acceptable. I also feel that in many cases it is sharper (Heb 4:12) than most of the more modern translations. This is just one person’s opinion.

Sermon Notes

7/28/13

 Three weeks from today we plan to be headed home. By the way if any of you have any tips for figuring this retirement thing out, I am open to suggestions. Seems like I am more tired than ever and only have the time for a few of the things I hope to accomplish.

Two weeks ago we took the grandkids to the zoo, but they made us bring them back home. Then last week they took us to a museum but we were too young so they had to bring us back too. Oh well! We are enjoying some really good times with our kids here and with some other family and friends.

Sunday Russell shared again from Luke 6. He said that he had intended to go on to the next chapter but the more he prayed about this and looked at it, the more he felt he should say some things about Jesus choosing the 12 apostles. I think it is the second time I’ve heard him say something like, “There is gold under every verse if you are willing to dig.” And as he began he said, “Jesus is our model for everything.” Sometimes I hear something and just want to park there for a while and let it sink in. Those 2 statements are that kind of thing. The more I think about them the deeper the meaning becomes and the broader the truth.

Starting in Luke 6:12 and reading through verse 16 we see the story of Jesus choosing the 12 apostles. The story begins with a powerful verse.

Luke 6:12  And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Russell pointed out how amazing this is. He said he had never even come close to anything like this and doesn’t know of anyone who he could say had spent a whole night in prayer. But this is how Jesus prepared for a very important time of selecting the 12 who would be the inner circle of his disciples, that he would eventually trust with taking his message to the world. This is how Jesus prepared for important decisions and he is our model.

Then the text says that from his disciples he chose 12 whom he named apostles. This was a common word in that time and had a specific meaning. In the Jewish culture the Sanhedrin was the legislative branch of their community. They made the laws and they had apostles (sent ones) that they appointed to spread the news of their decisions. In the same way Jesus apostles were to spread his message to all the world. (Mark 16:15-16)

Russell also mentioned that he noticed that all of the apostles were men. This seems to be a consistent pattern in God’s economy. In no way does this suggest that women are of lesser value or importance in God’s eyes or in the life of the church. It is simply something we can observe and practice because it is God’s design. “Just trust God’s design.”

There is always something of value to see in every verse of God’s Word, even a list of names. As we look at the men Jesus chose to be his apostles, it is good to consider, why did Jesus choose these men?

When Samuel was sent by God to choose a king for Israel he was confused when God rejected the sons of Jesse. God spoke to Samuel and said, “man looks on the outward appearance, but The Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

And so what are the characteristics that God looks for to find someone he can use. If you take a close look at these men they were pretty ordinary men. They had no outstanding skills or talents that would recommend them for proclaiming the most important message of all time. Yet these are the ones that Jesus chose.

Russell mentioned that there seems to be a law of nature or sermonology that there are always 3 points to a sermon. No matter whether he starts with 2 points or 8, by the time he has fully organized his thoughts he ends up with 3 major ideas developed. So, what are the 3 characteristics of someone God can use in his service.

First; Someone God can use must have a teachable heart.

·         Are you willing to learn and change?

·         There are many Proverbs that speak of the wisdom of hearing reproof  and instruction.

·         When you listen to a sermon do you think of others or how it applies to you?

·         How do you respond to correction?

The second characteristic is an obedient heart.

·     Russell mentioned someone who jumped in and for several years has kept the lawn mowed and looking good, for the love of the church.

·     Are you looking for the thing you can do for God and his church, then doing that thing?

Thirdly, God notices a heart that is satisfied with only him. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.”

·         Those who are looking for nothing more than to be one with God.

·         for the 12, all the compensation they needed was to be with Jesus.

God doesn’t choose men & women because of their amazing talents or gifts. God chooses those who have a heart to honor him altogether.

1 Corinthians 2:9 challenges us with these words: “But as it is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." What does God want to do with you or me? Are our hearts prepared for his service?

I hope you have found some things here that encourage and challenge you to examine your life with a view to being someone God would use. I know I have.

As always Be Faithful

 Rick

(Prov 4:23)

Sermon Notes from RVCC

7/21/13

Dear Friends,

 Warmest greetings and extreme humidity from Oklahoma. Although the temperatures here have not been what they are in Oregon for a few days, It is the humidity. Speaking of heat I got an email from Tarri, She is a young lady in the military from RVCC. Right now she is stationed in Afghanistan, where the average temperature is 114 degrees. Please remember her in your prayers along with many of the others over there who are serving to protect us and make a better life for the people of that country. I am a Viet Nam vet but these young people are volunteers and they have my extreme respect.

Sunday David Wise stepped in and shared some thoughts from Luke 6. He began by sharing a story of how when he was younger his brother and sister each got glasses and he was jealous. I think I can remember the few moments I thought glasses were cool. Anyway, although he did get glasses, the problem was not serious and was caused by the fact that he could intentionally shift the focus to a point where he could see things that were not easily seen by most people. You may remember the dot pictures from the ‘90's that as you stared at them 3 dimensional images would appear. If you’re like me you probably had little to no success with them. David was really good at it and that was his main problem. He would do it without thinking about it, no matter what he was looking at. This made the words on a printed page hard to read.

David read from Luke 6:20 thru 26. This is an account of Jesus blessings and woes with which he began a message. This seems very similar to the blessings at the beginning of what is called the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5,6 &7. David looked at it in a little different way than we might have heard it in the past.

First he pointed out that Jesus was speaking to his disciples. There were others there who heard but in verse 20 it says “And lifting up His eyes to his disciples, He said...” Jesus was speaking to those who had decided to follow him. So in the same way if we have set our hearts and minds to follow Him, He is speaking to us.

Then reading on, David said that this passage does not mean what it may appear to say. It doesn’t mean that you will be blessed if you are poor, hungry, sad and nobody likes you; or that you are in trouble if your wealthy, well fed, cheerful and popular. Much more important than the condition is the reason for the condition. The question is; Where is your focus?

David pointed out that if we focus on what is right in front of us, the things that are in the distance will be difficult to see. In the same way if we are looking into the distance the things close at hand will be out of focus and seem unimportant. He illustrated this by pointing out how you can focus a camera on something near or on something in the distance. In the same way if our attention is upon heavenly things we will not be as concerned about things which are valued by others who are not interested in the life of the spirit.

He also mentioned how we can go overboard if we get distracted thinking we must be poor, hungry, sad and unpopular. When he came back from a mission trip to Africa, he felt like they should get rid of everything. Fortunately Natalye had the good sense to tell him he was NUTS. That brought him back to reality and he saw that the things were not the problem. He only needed to be sure his focus was where God wanted it.

In II Corinthians 4:16-18 we can see.

For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day. And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.

So this is the challenge for us today. Where is my attention?

I am so thankful for the opportunity to take these sermons and look carefully at them to find the message that is there and share it with each of you. I hope this letter is an encouragement where ever you are to check your focus and make the adjustments that will be to God’s glory.

Let us each endeavor to Be Faithful.

Rick

Phil 4:4-8 

May 4, 2013; A thought for today

Today I am reading Mark chapter 4. I love the story of the soils and am always challenged to consider the soil of my heart. Am I receptive? Are there things in my heart that will hinder the growth of God’s Word there? Several questions like that arise.

But today I read further where Jesus speaks of the Kingdom of God being like a seed which grows up and many can find shelter there. He also speaks of a lamp that needs to be set up where it can give light to all.

Finally I was compelled to write by the familiar story of The disciples crossing the sea of Galilee in a boat and Jesus was in the back on a pillow asleep. The storm arose and the disciples were afraid. This is amazing since at least 4 of these men were experienced sailors.

In each account (Matt 8:18-27; Mark 4:35-41; and Luke 8:22-25) Jesus speaks to their faith. Well he speaks about their not having faith. Since I understand faith to be something that stimulates action, I wonder. What did Jesus want them to do?

I cannot say with full assurance what the answer is in this case but I expect that it may be; Do what you know to do. These men had experience and knew this lake. they knew how to handle the boat and how to work with the storm.

In my life do I act like these men and fail to do what I know because I am concentrating on my problems and not on doing what I know to do, trusting God to carry me through to the end he has in mind for me.

Remember all of the promises of how God does care for us and will not give us more than we can handle(I Cor 10:13). He always will work all things for our good and his glory if we trust him as we act to do what we know(Rom 8:28). I will make mistakes but God can even use that especially if I am acting according to faith.