Christ is the End of All

Our destiny in Christ is eternal life. Death is merely a very temporary interruption in the midst of cosmic life.

C. S. Lewis

 

Romans 8:18-23     

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. (NASB95)

It is of great importance to spread the Good News! Christ in whom “All Things were created,” has put an end to death, hell and the grave for all that accept Him as Savior and Lord. Why is the “Lord” part so important? It is for us to answer His command and place the bows of our eternal ships against the waves of the world, to enter to port of our new existence

Christ our eternal Messiah, came to release our world from a spinning whirlpool of death. It is why “Our Lord” wept at the tomb of Lazarus, but the tears that flowed down His precious face also saw again the futility of death in which all of creation suffered, He wept over “Death” itself.

Makes me pretty sure we will not be hunting in heaven. Nothing will ever again have to die so that something can live.  That is why is so necessary for us to spread the message, The Death of Death has occurred, the lion shall lay down by the lamb. The Birth of Christ was the beginning of the end, and the start of a new existence with Him forever.

God Bless…Pastor William

Give Thanks in All Things

We ought to give thanks for all fortune: it is is good, because it is good, if bad, because it works in us patience, humility and the contempt of this world and the hope of our eternal country”  C.S. Lewis

 

Ephesians 5:17-21
     So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. (NASB95)

Thanksgiving is not just a “holiday,” nor is it just about cooking turkeys or getting the best sales on “Black Friday.” It is a time when we stop and consider what is important, and it is not the physical temporal things that we hold on to so tightly, it is about considering the value of others.

We should take this time to be thankful for our physical family as well as our “eternal” spiritual family, and forget and lay aside all of our personal needs and wants and concentrate on the value of those around us. No one exists as an island, but we sure try to do that in todays world.

We are all gears in a time piece ticking for eternity, and we are all needed to work properly in God’s timing. We may not understand what God is doing all the time in us and others, but it is important for us to realize how much we need God, and each other to make it to an eternity where time shall be no more…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Expectations

“We must learn to reawaken and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical aid, but by an infinite expectation of the dawn.”

David Henry Thoreau

Acts 3:3-5 (NASB95)

         When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms.   But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, “Look at us!”   And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.

In this passage is a great secret that many Christians need to grasp and hold on to today. Here we see the man lame from birth, 40 years old who sat at the gate begging for his livelihood. We do need to see the attitude that he had as he sat at the feet of those that walked by.

His attitude when he saw Peter and John was one of expectation. He believed that he was going to receive something from them, he had a spirit of expectation. He was at a place of prayer and worship, was there a better place to seek mercy than at the meeting place of God’s people?

So I ask the question of us all today. What do you expect to happen in your place of worship this Sunday? Do you expect a wonderful life changing experience, or are you just going to meet your friends again and sing a few songs? God Bless

Pastor William

Devotion

To be Devoted implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.

Webster’s Dictionary

Acts 2:42 
     They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (NASB95)

What do you think of when you think of the word fellowship? As a Christian does it bring to mind the times we get together as the Church to worship? I think for many this is what comes to mind. But this is not all that fellowship entails.

What we miss is the fellowship after the service, that is the times when we get to know one another outside the framework of gathered church meetings. I do think that we could enhance these meetings with more dedication to fellowship on other days of the week than Sunday's.

We see in Acts that the church was “Devoted” to fellowship. They were in fellowship with one another constantly and I believe that is what is missing in the church today. We love our locked up solitude, but the reality is we need to be more aware of each other and be united together as a family.

That can only happen when we spend time getting to know one another and to be more personally united in the bond of Christ. Didn't  Christ eat from house to house? Did He ever setup home somewhere to feed His earthly comforts? I think not, and it would be the best thing for the church today to come out of our homes and into the hearts of others.

God Bless! Pastor William

Peace

St Augustine said that "peace is the tranquility of order". Because peace is ordered towards Christ and the eternal Good, it is unlike worldly peace which is more like "a break between wars".

Romans 14:16-19 (NASB95)
     Therefore do not let what is for you a good thing be spoken of as evil;  for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.

I worry that many have abandoned the pursuit of peace, other than their own personal peace.  Many are confused about this subject, for this world has convinced most that peace is something that is all about us and has nothing to do with anyone else, if fact we don’t want any other worries right? We have enough of our own.

If we as Christians believe that the Bible is our authority for healthy spiritual living then these words from Paul are a good dose of medicine for us all to take. Paul says happiness is not found at Outback Steakhouse, serving myself, but is found in my serving someone else.

We are to be securing peace for each other, and in that exercise true peace with be found. Someone will be loving you and you will be loving someone else. Knowing that someone else feels we are needed in this world, somehow makes us more secure, and it builds peace around us and others. This is what we are to be chasing… and not the rabbits of self-desire that destroy us all. God Bless

Pastor William

Justice

“Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.”Blaise Pascal

Deut 16:19
“You shall not distort justice; you shall not be partial, and you shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.

I had, what the judge called a privilege, to be called to present myself to the Federal Court house for juror duty this past Monday. It was a completely different experience from state court duty which I have been called to many times.

I was reminded by the Federal Court judge, and a video presented by the Supreme Court judges, of how our court system is a foundation of our democracy. It is a right to be judged by a jury of our peers, and I was amazed at the effort made to be fair to the defendant on trial.

For whatever reason I was not chosen to sit on the jury, only 13 of 31 were chosen, but the experience reminded me again of the foundation on which our nation stands. It stands on Biblical and Godly principals, and if our nation leaves that standard it shall suffer.

Compare that to the news today where the Arabian courts, under Islamic Law declared it legal for a man to beat his wife and children…and that system awaits to overtake our land…God’s  Blessings

Pastor William

Honestly!

No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar.  ~Abraham Lincoln

Psalm 24:3-5    
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul 1to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully.  He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation. (NASB95)
Truth is something that requires special handling. It is simple and yet it can be harmful, or helpful. God’s Word gives us an insight in Eph. 4 15, “but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.” 
Scripture tells us that we are to place the truth in a vessel of sacrificial love patterned by Christ. We find also from the beginning that God has placed us slightly behind His majesty in His commandments to us, which are commands and not just suggestions, as others have said..
We are commanded to Love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and body. The second commandment…to love our brother as ourselves.  Ok, it’s pretty clear. We are to weigh our words carefully on the scale of “Agape Love.” Our words may sometimes cut, but you must also bind their wounds…God’s Blessings.
Pastor William

Washing Feet

“Think of the magic of that foot, comparatively small, upon which your whole weight rests. It's a miracle, and the dance...is a celebration of that miracle.”

Martha Washington quotes (American First Lady (1789-97), wife of George Washington, 1st US president. 1732-1802)

 Jesus knew that the Father had given everything into His hands, that He had come from God, and that He was going back to God. 4 So He got up from supper, laid aside His robe, took a towel, and tied it around Himself. 5 Next, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples' feet and to dry them with the towel tied around Him

I don’t know if we will ever get the full implication of what Jesus did here. One of the greatest things we need to see is that He, Jesus, Son of God, washed the feet of His Betrayer also.

Washing feet is an humbling experience for both involved. I had the privilege to practice this the other day and it has really stuck with me. It is yet another way that Jesus instructs us to help and support one another.

As Martha said, consider the magic of the foot, that which bears you up through all things. Jesus considered it, and left us this to ponder when we get so spiritually pure and proud that we will not humble ourselves to minister to others.

We never get so big that we are disqualified from this task. If God Himself will use it to humble a proud Peter, and to shame a traitor, we too should make this something that we include in our lives to keep our “pride” caged…God Bless

Pastor William

Cooling Down

I awoke this morning to temperatures in the sixties, and I must confess my disappointment. I am one who loves the Spring and Summer and tolerates the times between. Winter gives me two blessings, it is remembrance of my Saviors birth, and a chance to hunt.

By the way, God loves hunters, I ran across this scripture yesterday in my study of Genesis 10: vs 8-9. Now Cush became the father of Nimrod; he became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.”

It made me feel a little more peace about my love of hunting, but just as much, my respect of the animals I hunt. We must also remember that we must use this authority we have over them well. We are not to kill needlessly or just for fun. I eat what I hunt and not just for a wall mount.

God placed a fear of us in animals, and that is to their good, and ours too. We must respect that fear for it keeps us from being gluttons as men are so bent to be. We see this in the whale, and in anything where we do not harness our desires. Isn’t that what being a Christian is about, harnessing desire…God Bless.

Still Here

It’s been awhile since I last invaded your mailboxes, and it has been a busy time.  We have painted and scrubbed, remodeled and rebuilt this house in Gainesville, and I have more time to do the important things that I really enjoy, and that is ministering.

Ministering, for me, is not just about preaching and visiting, but it is about reaching as many people as I can for our Lord and Savior in every way that I can to honor the life He gave for me. I know that you feel the same way.

Our problem is distractions.  We get led off of the narrow way by life, simply because it is so real and the necessities of everyday living so pressing. I am ready to get back on track and again try to help begin your day focused on what is really real, and relevant for our eternity with God.

Frankly I have missed you. As I listen for the Lord’s word for us each day, your faces come across my mind and my heart. I pray for you, and for your loved ones. It is like a renewal of friendship and faith, for we are one in that time. Jesus gave His life so we could all be one with Him and His Father, and each other…and so will we be forever…God Bless.

Moving On

Well we have gotten moved in finally and we are enjoying our new home that God has given us.  I haven’t really shared a lot of what is going on in our lives, but feel like it is time to get you all on board with us and praying for us as we go forward in the calling God has given us.

We are now church planters. It is a description given to men called by God to start new churches. Across our land many Southern Baptist Churches, and many other conservative churches are in decline.  We have missed a generation in our churches for many years, and we also ignore, to some extent, other segments of our society.

I believe that Jesus would not be pleased with some of the things that “The Church” of today is doing, or not doing. In the last two years around 140 churches have died annually. We have started around  120 new churches every year, but can’t keep up with the declining church.  We can either sit back and do nothing and keep doing church as usual, or we can ask our Savior what we need to do to change this.

Well, I asked, and I know what I have to do. We are in the middle of Gainesville, FL now, and everyone knows what a Gator Fan I am, but did you also know that it is the number one city in the State of Florida for abortions? God drew me here and now He is putting us to work. It is our hope to plant churches and to do it in a new way. Please place us on your prayer lists and ask God to use us for His Glory.

Our new address is 3301 NW 27th Terrace, Gainesville, FL 32605-2222.  We will be here for a while because there is much work to do here.  In the mean time, come by and see us.  We have a spare guest room and an in ground pool, that’s a good excuse to come to Florida and it’s cheaper than a motel. We would enjoy seeing you all and in the mean time please pray. Also, please continue to pray for our current new church, Journey of The Word, and for the churches that God wants to use us to start and also for churches that need to get an infusion of "Kingdom Vision." There is so little time and so much to do for the kingdom in today’s world.

With all our love and His Blessings,

William and Roxanne

My phone is 386-853-0040 call anytime, God Bless

Jesus has seen it ALL

"Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward. And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." ~ Abraham Lincoln




Hebrews 4:14-15 (NASB95)
     Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

I thought that was a good quote for us this morning from Abraham Lincoln, but as a Christian we can really see the “life in our years” thing can’t we.  Christ is our life and if He is in our years, then He will make our years better and more fulfilling.

I am continually learning to trust that Jesus really has experienced all of those problems that I am facing and He can help me get through the tough things. You know what I’m saying don’t you. It always seems that we are alone in our problems and the Ole deceiver is right there telling us that God doesn’t care or understand and He really just doesn’t like you.

Well, it’s true! We are taking the test first aren’t we? We don’t know everything but we can trust that He does, and at the end of the test we will ascend to Heaven for our eternal lessons with our Lord and Savior. We will, as the old songs says, understand it better by and by. In the mean time while the test is going on, I must learn to trust the Life in my years, and His Name is Jesus…God Bless.

Pastor William

It takes Attitude to Draw Near!

"The ultimate ground of faith and knowledge is confidence in God."

George Herbert

 

Hebrews 4:14-16 (NASB95)  

  Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I’m going to make a bold statement, and then hope that you will agree that God’s Word backs it up. It is this,”we must have confession, and confidence to co-exist with God, to find help in our time of need.”

What I am saying is that you must believe to see, and you must believe that He is God, or you are alone. Am I making sense? If you have no confidence or faith in Him, you will not receive an answer to your prayers simply because God is not going to be there at your meeting if you don’t believe that He is real and powerful and can answer your prayers.

So I must confess my belief to myself and others, and I must also show my confidence in Him to myself and others, and then, and only then will God show up at my time of need and co-inhabit my space with me and help me in my time of need. Wouldn’t you agree with me now? You see if you don’t really believe He can help you, then He can’t help you…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Are You Rested?

“Take rest; a field that has rested gives a bountiful crop.”

    Ovid;  (Ancient Roman Classical Poet)

 

Hebrews 4:6-11

      Therefore, since it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience, He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”  For if 1Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.  So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.  For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.     Therefore let us be diligent to enter that rest, so that no one will fall, through following the same example of disobedience. (NASB95)

Have you rested from your works?  A lot of what defeats us is our own fault. We are either trying to meet someone’s approval or have set up a standard for our flesh and we are trying to prove our worth to society or to God.

Well are you ready for a rest? i hope so, I know that I am. I want to rest in the worth of what Jesus did for me on the cross and tell the world that it was enough. If we would all do that we would not feel defeated as much as we do.

Christ has paved the way for you and I and all we have to do is follow in His footsteps. Yes, He will carry you at times, but He still expects us to find His trail for ourselves and do our best to follow Him, and He will cover our mistakes. If we all sought the approval of Christ on our lives, many of our struggles would end…God Bless.

Pastor William

Truth…The Basis of Belief

 

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”

Albert Einstein

John 8:43-47

     “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word.  “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”

(NASB95)

In John  Chapter 14: vs 16-17 Jesus promised us a “Helper” ( The Holy Spirit) whose nature was described for us by Jesus as, “The Spirit of Truth.” The Spirit of Truth abides in each of us, and with each of us. He is an internal assurance and an outward witness of God’s truth in each of us.

Today’s world cannot receive the Holy Spirit of Truth. Christ told us that they could not see Him or know Him.  That means that truth only abides within the hearts of those that walk with The Holy Spirit and as Jesus said in John 16:13, it is because “The Spirit guides us into “ALL” truth.

The Holy Spirit will give us guidance for today and will give us knowledge of what is yet to come. That is why “Truth” is tied so tightly to “Hope.” We have confidence because the Holy Spirit is God’s lifeline for us while we are here. Do you “Love” the Truth? John 4:24 says it all, “God is Spirit and all who worship Him must worship Him in “Spirit and in “Truth…God Bless

Pastor William

Getting to The Point

 

The whole process of enlightenment and acceptance may be called coming to the knowledge of the truth

Wood, D. R. W. ;New Bible Dictionary

John 8:31-32  The Truth Will Make You Free

 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;   and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (NASB95)

    Coming to a knowledge of the truth is an important truth so often ignored within the Christian community. 2 Timothy Chapter 3 foretold this day, and we would be wise to listen to Bro. Tim’s advice.

The characteristics of last days behavior is described well in these verses, “unloving, without self-control, lovers of pleasure than of good,” are major statements within these verses that describe the reason it is so hard to get Christians committed to the church, much less a lost world.

It is time that we took seriously the words of Christ in John 12:46 “I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” That is strait to the point isn’t it, if you really love Him you remain in His Word and in His Light, you will not walk in darkness…God Bless.

Pastor William

Dangerous Currents

Every choice moves us closer to or farther away from something. Where are your choices taking your life? What do your behaviors demonstrate that you are saying yes or no to in life?

Eric Allenbaugh (American author, "Wake-Up Calls")

 

Hebrews 2:1-4

We must therefore pay even more attention to what we have heard, so that we will not drift away. For if the message spoken through angels was legally binding, and every transgression and disobedience received a just punishment, how will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was first spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. At the same time, God also testified by signs and wonders, various miracles, and distributions of gifts from the Holy Spirit according to His will. (HCSB)

To pay attention to The Word of God is to prevent it from slipping away and also to keep us from drifting away from its blessings. Will this happen? Yes! Of course it will. We have to pay attention to the Word of God to stay anchored in God’s Truth, for if we are not careful the dangerous eddies of sin can put us on satan's reef.

Eric Allenbaugh was right. Every choice we make indicates a movement in our life, or a change of direction. Our choices in life either move us closer to God, or closer to the those things satan places in our path to draw us off course. God can help us avoid those worldly reefs that will tear the bottom out of the spiritual ship of our soul.

Jesus our Lord and Savior plotted a safe course for us through these dangerous waters, but we must make sure that we do not drift of course. This is what Paul is saying to us in Hebrews 2, he is saying pay even more attention now to your course and where decisions move you. In these last days we are in stormy waters, and the words of Paul speaks to our day, Jesus is coming soon, don’t let worldly currents carry you away…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

We've Got Company

The angels are the dispensers and administers of the Divine beneficence toward us; they regard our safety, undertake out defense, direct our ways, and exercise a constant solicitude that no evil befall us.

John Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion I

Hebrews 1:13-2:1

Now to which of the angels has He ever said: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation? (HCSB)

Robert Burton believed that quote, “Every man hath a good and a bad angel attending on him in particular, all his life long.” There are some that crave attention. Well, how much more attention do you want? There are airy hosts, blessed spectators, sympathetic on lookers that see and know and appreciate our every thought and feeling.

Francis Bacon believed that men should know that a man’s life is a theater, with seats reserved only for God and the angels to be lookers on. Millions of spiritual creations walk the earth unseen to be revealed only at times when God may have reason to intervene in our lives. Hebrews 13:2 says that we at times may entertain angels, in meeting strangers.

You see God has not forgotten you and turned you loose until your day of accounting but has shepherds, glittering ranks of angels that report on your state of being. You are not a wild dog set free in this world to roam, but you are His and He tends closely to see what you are up to…He keeps up with the hairs on your head. The angels contest daily for your life, give them a pleasant task…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Angels Watching Over Us

You may not be able to leave your children a great inheritance, but day by day, you may be weaving coats for them which they will wear for all eternity.

Theodore L. Cuyler (1822-1909, American pastor, author)

Hebrews 1:13-2:1

Now to which of the angels has He ever said: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation? (HCSB)

Paul, speaking under the authority of the Holy Spirit of God, leaves us in this verse some wonderful insights into our daily existence here on this earth. It is here that we learn of the personal attention that God is giving His children, and we find that we are not alone, but that we have angels in our midst. God has not left his children without protection.

Many in this world walk in ignorance of God and His wonderful provision for us. They feel as if they are, so to speak, “paving their own way. They think they stand alone on their own two feet and need no one’s help, but they are in ignorance to the presence of angels sent to secure those who are God’s inheritance, receiving eternal salvation.

Angels are watching over you and I right now, I wonder how many times angels have wept over my actions? Angels minister to you and I just as angels ministered to Christ in the wilderness of temptation. All who have received salvation, and will inherit eternal presence with God forever, have ministering angels around us…wow! There is a lot more to this life that we can see…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Forgiveness has an End

If there be no enemy there's no fight. If no fight, no victory and if no victory there is no crown.

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881, Scottish philosopher, author)

Hebrews 1:13-2:1

Now to which of the angels has He ever said: Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies Your footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation? (HCSB)

In Joshua 10:24-25 we see the results of a day where God held the sun in its place until Israel caught their enemies. “When they had brought the kings to him, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the military commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks. Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous, for the Lord will do this to all the enemies you fight.”

In Psalm 110:1 we hear the promise as God speaks to His Son. He promises Him that His enemies will be His Footstool, and Paul reminds us in Hebrews 10: 11 that Jesus still awaits the day that His enemies will be under His feet. To us this sounds a cruel and harsh punishment, but it is one that the enemies choose for themselves, not our Father.

This needs to be highlighted more in our communication with the lost world, for they still think that God will not be mean to them, or that He will pardon their sentence. It will not be so… for those that spurn the Son of God no sacrifice remains for their sin, they have rejected the Savior and will fall into the hands of an Angry God who will place their necks under the feet of His Son…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

The Cloak Maker

However, no two people see the external world in exactly the same way. To every separate person a thing is what he thinks it is -- in other words, not a thing, but a think.

Penelope Fitzgerald (1916-, British author)

Hebrews 1:8-12 but about the Son:

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of Your kingdom is a scepter of justice. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; this is why God, Your God, has anointed You, rather than Your companions, with the oil of joy. And: In the beginning, Lord, You established the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; they will perish, but You remain. They will all wear out like clothing; You will roll them up like a cloak, and they will be changed like a robe. But You are the same, and Your years will never end. (HCSB)

I’m kind of in a state of awe right now…hey! Maybe you can be here with me and feel what I am feeling right now. Our God who created all of this that we see; a righteous and loving God who hates lawlessness, collects the heavens in a roll and changes them as you and I would put on or take of a coat that needs washing.

Scientists play around the skirts of this coat trying to understand what God has created. In their attempts they look at what our God has made, they worship the cloak rather than the cloak maker. They will never grasp it all, and if they do come close, it will not be before God wraps up the old one and puts on the new…as if changing His cloak.

The one thing that I can take comfort in is that I know the Creator, even if I don’t know all about His creation. I think man still hasn’t found enough about who is, yet man is already looking at the creation explaining to all the nature of God’s Cloak. Now if you don’t know the cloak maker then you don’t know his craft. Take comfort in the fact that you know the cloak maker today, and you will watch him roll up the heavens forever…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

Putting Together God's Puzzle

You are the handicap you must face. You are the one who must choose your place.

James Allen (1864-1912, British-born American essayist

Hebrews 1:5-7

For to which of the angels did He ever say, You are My Son; today I have become Your Father, or again, I will be His Father, and He will be My Son? When He again brings His firstborn into the world, He says, and all God’s angels must worship Him. And about the angels He says: He makes His angels’ winds and His servants a fiery flame; (HCSB)

Psalm 104:1-4, says this about God our Creator and Lord, “My soul, praise the Lord! Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with majesty and splendor. He wraps Himself in light as if it were a robe, spreading out the sky like a canopy, laying the beams of His palace on the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind, and making the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.

You know I think I can find my place in God’s creation here, and you can also find your place as well. It seems that things begin to make sense when you put things in order. God who designed all of creation through Jesus Christ made a thing for everyplace and for everyplace a thing. The pieces of the puzzle fit when put together God’s way.

If we take our place as His servants we will also begin to see the structure of rightness and peace which God placed in the world and in us. We will hear,and feel the winds of angels wings brush our face, and the warmth of the Light of God in our bones. When we come as His servants a fire is lit in each of us that turns us into a fiery flame of witness to the Glory of our God… Oh’ the Glory of His Presence, that we miss when we are out of place…God’s Blessings

Pastor William

He's Been there, and Done That

You can no more give what you haven't learned than you can come back from a place you've never been.

Author Unknown

Hebrews 1:1-4

Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe. He is the radiance of His glory, the exact expression of His nature, and He sustains all things by His powerful word. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs. (HCSB)

In my supervisory days, I never felt like I could tell someone what to do until I could do it myself. On the farm that meant driving tractors, loaders, and various other equipment to familiarize myself with the nature of the work and what it was done with. Because of that habit it did away with many of the useless excuses of why someone failed to do what was given for them to do that day.

What is amazing to me is that God did the very same thing. He didn’t sit on His Throne and demand things that we could not do. He came down to experience just exactly what we face every day because of His great love for us. He knows our weaknesses and the trials that we walk through in life because He has been there too, but without sin, and failure.

This will also do away with all of our excuses of why we couldn’t do what He asked us to do. The messenger He sent in these Last Days was His Son. Jesus came to intercede for us, and He now sits at the right hand of the Father to help us with our trials and weaknesses. Jesus can help us through these trials, if we would but ask for help. This is the main reason our excuses will fall on deaf ears, because The Son experienced them all…God Bless

Pastor William

Leaving a Legacy

The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881, British statesman, Prime Minister)

1 Thessalonians 3:6

But now Timothy has come to us from you and brought us good news about your faith and love, and that you always have good memories of us, wanting to see us, as we also want to see you. (HCSB)

Are we living with the future in mind? While on the subject, what is the period that we are speaking of when we speak of future? What brings this to mind is our subject today, and that subject is legacy. Are we living a legacy here that others can follow for future spiritual success? This also includes life here and not just the sweet bye and bye doesn’t it?

Look at the exchange between Paul and the Thessalonians. Timothy had come to the Disciples and brought them Good News about the Thessalonians that made them desire to see them, and also brought to the disciples the desires of the Thessalonians to see them too. We can see here two great legacies’ at work in the lives of two groups of people.

Our lives imprint the lives of others corporately and personally, and we should always strive to leave impressions of good intentions. Pleasant memories can really stir hearts in need during strenuous times, and we should leave a well large enough that others can see that even in our failures, we kept the bigger picture in mind which led us and will lead others to complete successful lives here…God Bless

Pastor William

OBEY? What a Funny Word

From Obedience and submission comes all our virtues, and all sin is come from self-opinion.

Michel Eyquem De Montaigne (1533-1592, French philosopher, essayist)

1 Samuel 15:22-23

Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and defiance is like wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as king. (HCSB)

Submission is one of the hardest things for us as the children of Adam and Eve to accept, and it should come as no surprise to us, for we can see this problem in our family tree. Isn’t it always easy for us to come up with an alternative plan? Sometimes this is wisdom, but when it comes to God’s plans and our plans it is not an option.

In this New Year the best resolution we could all make can be summed up in one word, and that word is “Obedience.” We should all resolve to believe God’s Word and follow His plans for us to the letter, and not insert out will into the picture. As you can see in this exchange between Saul and Samuel, our plans can get us into lifelong troubles.

Let us all decide to reject the plans that satan eagerly supplies to those that have decided to be obedient to God’s Will for their lives. Satan has a alternative plan for every plan that God has for your and my life, but it is up to us to learn to discern the difference. It isn’t hard to tell the difference; Satan’s plan is the one that has you in mind and not others. I’ll bet Saul could tell you something about monuments to self…God’s Blessings.

Pastor William