Psalm 56: 1-13

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have enemies. There is not a nice way to say it, but there are people who do not like us, who do not share our faith in Jesus. In the face of our enemies we pray. We pray for God to save us from them, to keep us safe. We pray that God would have victory over them and prepare a table for us in their presence. But we must also remember to pray for them, just as Jesus commanded. Jesus tells us, 'love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.' Our enemies cause us great pain, and part of us wants to see them get their comeuppance, but what we need to be doing is praying for them. It is not easy, but we need to lift up our enemies before the throne of grace that their hearts might be softened, that they might come to a life of faith in Jesus, that they would love us. When surrounded by enemies, do not forget to pray for those who surround you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 55: 1-23

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

At times we are all looking for rest and peace. Things go wrong in our lives; we are surrounded by enemies; circumstances become too much for us to handle. We look for a place of refuge and rest. There is such a place: in God's loving arms. God is there for us always. In times of trouble he is there holding his hands out to us, offering us the refuge and rest we need. Turn to God in times of trouble, let him help you. Often we try to handle things ourselves. 'I can make my own refuge,' we say. God is our refuge and our strength. Come to him when you are in need. His arms are open, and they are waiting for you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 54: 1-7

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Hear my prayer, oh God; listen to the words of my mouth." When we lift up our prayers we want to know that they are being heard. We can rest easy on that, for God hears all of our prayers. I wish I could say God answers all our prayers according to what we want, but that is not always the case. God hears our prayers, and he answers them according to his perfect will. We may not get absolutely everything we ask for, but we do have the comfort of knowing God hears our prayers and cares about what is best for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 53: 1-6

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a God. I cannot say it any better than that. Look around and you will see evidence of his power, glory, and love. We know in our hearts that God is real and that he loves us. That faith is not always easy to hold on to. The world tries to tell us that God is not real, that he is a figment of our imagination. Ignore those empty and faithless words. We know God is real. We experience him every day. Hold on to your faith no matter what the world tells you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 52: 1-9

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The wicked plague us at every turn. What can we do to rid ourselves of these wicked hearts? Sadly, not much. One thing we can do, though, is trust that God is going to have the final victory. God is going to triump over the wicked of the world someday, and when he does they will plague us no more. That may not do much for the situations we find oursleves in now, but that can give us hope for what lies ahead. Someday we will be given perfect peace and safety in God's kingdom. Until then we wait and hope. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 51: 1-19

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Confession is a necessary part of our faith. We need to make sure we take time to confess our sins before the throne of grace. We do not do this to beat ourselves up, or to make us feel an overwhelming amount of guilt. It is a simple act of recognition. We need to recognize that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. We need to recognize that we need Jesus to die on the cross. In that act of confession comes our salvation. When we confess we need salvation, that is when salvation becomes real in our lives. "Have mercy on me, oh God, according to your unfailing love." That is our prayer. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for June 27, 2010

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from 2 Samuel 6: 14-21, in which David dances before the Lord as the Ark of the Covenant is brought into Jerusalem. The sermon is titled 'Dance!' and will focus on our need to celebrate the good things God has done in our lives. I hope to see you all on Sunday morning. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 50: 1-23

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth..." God is speaking to all of us. He calls us by name into a life of faith. We have listened, but that does not mean we are finished. Our calling is to open the ears of the rest of the world so they, too, will hear God's voice and come to a life of faith. We have heard God speak, and we have listened. Let's make sure others are listening, too. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 49: 1-20

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our bodies will die. No matter what kind of things medical science is able to come up with there is nothing that can make a human body live forever. Someday, our bodies will cease to be. That does not mean, though, we do not have the opportunity to live forever. Jesus came to this earth to give us life. Jesus died on the cross, and he was resurrected three days later that we might have eternal life. Yes, our bodies will die, but our souls will live forever. We do not have to fear death, for we will live forever. Through Jesus we have been given the gift of eternal life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 48: 1-14

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'For this God is our God for ever and ever.' So many things in our lives these days are temporary. Jobs, cars, homes, and a great many other things are here today and gone tomorrow. Because of that we sometimes may think God will not be there all the time. We might look at the things around us, as they disappear, and wonder if someday God is going to disappear. Here, though, we have the promise from Scripture that God will never not be there, that God will never cease to be. No matter what happens in our lives, or what goes away, God will always be there for us. We do not need to worry about him going anywhere. God is our God for ever and ever. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 47: 1-9

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is the first day of summer. Summer is a season in which it is a little easier to celebrate. The sun shines a lot; the flowers are in bloom; everyone's yard looks so nice. Summer is a beautiful season. The Psalm for today tells us to clap our hands and shout to God with cries of joy. We have many reasons to do this. God has blessed us in so many ways. On this first day of summer I think it is fitting to thank God for this beautiful world he has created and given to us. Take this day to rejoice in the home we have all been given. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 46: 1-11

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is plenty to fear out there in the world, but we have God on our side. 'If God is for us, who can be against us?' Those are words of encouragement that we need to remember. It's a trust thing. We need to trust that God is going to be there to take care of us. God has power, and he has love for us. God wants our lives to be good, safe, etc. We need to trust that God loves us, and that he has the power to help us in our lives. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 45: 1-17

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We can envision this Psalm as a prayer for someone other than the speaker. In other words, this is a prayer of intercession. We need to utter more of these prayers. People in the world need our help. We may not always be able to do for them what they need, but one thing we can do is pray. We can pray for those who are in need, that God will make their lives better. We can pray for those we love, that God will bless their lives. When you pray, remember to pray for those who are close to your heart. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 44: 1-26

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Look at what God has done. The Bible is a really wonderful because it tells us what God has done for his people. As we read through these pages we are blessed with a vision of the kinds of things God has done for the Israelites. We see how God delivered them from the Egyptians. We see, much later, how God sent Jesus into the world so all of us might have life. We also have our own lives at which to look. God has done many things in our lives. I encourage you to take some time and reflect on the many blessings God has given you throughout your life. Look back and see what the Lord has done for you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for June 20, 2010

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from 1 Samuel 22: 1-5 in which David seeks refuge as he runs away from Saul. The sermon is titled 'Take Refuge in God' and will focus on the need for us to take refuge in the Lord in times of trouble. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 43: 1-5

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Getting lost is very easy, especially if you lose the trail-markers. My family and I used to go hiking all the time and once we got lost because my brother and I were leading and we failed to follow the markers that had been nailed to the trees. Those markers are there for very good reasons: to guide the hikers through the woods. God is our trail-marker. He is there to guide us so we do not get lost. We need to make sure we are following him, keeping our eyes on him, so we do not get lost along the way. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 42: 1-11

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are all in need of God. Our souls thirst for God; our souls thirst for God's love, mercy, strength, glory, peace, and so many other things. And the best part about this is that God will fill those needs. If we come to God in faith and accept his lordship in our lives he will show us love and mercy; he will give us strength and peace; he will reveal his glory. We need to confess to God that we need him. God gives us strength to do a great many things, but we are still reliant on him for all things. We need to come to God in prayer telling him that we need him and telling him what we need. The good news is that God will give us what we need. We come to God in need, and he will make sure our needs are met. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 41: 1-13

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'Blessed is he who has regard for the weak.' We are supposed to take care of those in need. Throughout Jesus' ministry many people were healed. Jesus always shared the good news with people, but before he did that he healed them of their illnesses or injuries. In all things we are supposed to imitate Jesus. We are to follow his example. We may not have the power to lay our hands on someone and have their problems miraculously disappear, but we do have the power to do something for those who are in need. Whatever we can do we should do for those who are in need. In doing so we follow the commands, and the example, of Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 40: 1-17

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Waiting patiently for the Lord is not always an easy thing. We sometimes want things 'right now' and do not have it in us to wait for God to move. Patience is a virtue, but I think hope is an even better one. We have hope, as God's children, that he will act in our lives. At times it may seem like God has left us, that he has, for whatever reason, chosen to leave us behind. But we still have hope. We have hope that God, according to his perfect will and timing, will act in our lives. We need to wait patiently. We need to hold on to that hope. God will act, he will move in our lives, but it may not be according to the time we have in mind. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 39: 1-13

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'My hope is you.' Those words really say it all. God is our hope for peace. God is our hope for joy, salvation, love, life, strength, completeness, and so many other things. We sometimes think we can find these things in other places, in our worldly possessions. God is the only hope we have to receive any of these things, as well as the other things in our lives. That is an important thing for us to remember. Our hope, our only hope, is God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 38: 1-22

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need God's forgiveness. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. For those sins we need to ask God's forgiveness. If we come to God in confession; if we confess Jesus as personal Lord and savior then we will be forgiven. There is no magic formula, no special potion that can save us from sin. Only God can do that. We have the chance, the opportunity to be saved, but we need to recognize that we need to be saved in the first place. Through confession of sin and Christ's lordship we are saved. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 37: 1-40

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 40: 8 is one of my favorite Bible verses: 'The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.' The things of this world, even the prosperity of the wicked, are only temporary. The pain and suffering of this world are only temporary as well. Someday all of our suffering will be over. Though it may not perfectly solve the question of the existence of evil it should give us hope for what lies ahead. The things of this world, the good and the bad, will one day pass away. We will not. Neither will God. God will be forever, as will we, as will our joy and peace. We wait, we hope, for the day when our new life in heaven begins, a life that will not wither or pass away. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Summer Schedule

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are beginning our Summer Schedule for worship this Sunday. During the Summer there will no donuts in the chapel, though fellowship time is still encouraged. There will be no Children's Sunday School, though there will be nursery during the worship service. The Adult Sunday School class will continue as normal. Worship will remain at 11:00 a.m. Our normal schedule will resume in September. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for June 13, 2010

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from 1 Samuel 24: 1-12, in which David has the chance to kill Saul but instead cuts part of Saul's robe off as a way of showing mercy. The sermon is titled 'Cutting Robes' and will focus on our call to forgive our enemies. I hope to see you all in church on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 36:1-12

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Repentance means to turn around, 180 degrees. In other words, we go in the other direction. Before we came to Christ we were slaves to sin, now we are freed from that sin. Part of that freedom means we turn from a life of wickedness and into a life of holiness. The way we live matters. It is a reflection of what we think and believe in our hearts. If we believe in God's love and Jesus' salvation, then we will live a certain way. If we come, truly come, to Jesus, then we will live the way he wants us to live. Holiness is our call, as a by-product of what we believe. What do you believe? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 35: 1-28

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"The world will hate you because of me." Jesus shares these words with his disciples as a way of preparing them for the reality that being a child of God does not mean a perfect life. We, as Christians, still suffer as much as anyone else. We feel all kinds of pain in our lives, which sometimes makes our lives difficult. However, there is one thing that does set our lives apart from those who have no faith: we have God with us to see us through those difficult times. Imagine how much harder our lives would be if we did not have God in them. Yes, we struggle, but we also have God with us in those times to give us the strength we need to carry on. We do not go through these things alone. Jesus also says to his disciples, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.' What a promise we have there. We might suffer, but Jesus will be with us as we do. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 34: 1-22

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." Fear is a horrible thing. We all have fears in our lives, and these are the things that can really get in the way of our faith and service to God. Fears slow us down, they cause us to doubt the power and love of God in our lives. When we feel fearful we need to come to the Lord and tell him about those fears. We should always be honest with God about how we are feeling. If we tell God how we are feeling, God will help us to feel better. God will come into our hearts and give us the comfort, strength, and assurance we need to rid ourselves of those fears. Fear is natural, but it is something that we should try and get rid of, for it keeps us from being who God wants us to be. The way to get rid of fear is to bring it to God. He can and will help us to live a life without fear. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 33: 1-22

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Sing joyfully to the Lord." It is fitting that these words come to us on a Sunday morning, the day of worship. Worship is a blessing. It is a time for us to come into God's presence and be strengthened for our journey of faith. It is a time for us to come into God's presence and worship him for all he has done for us. However, worship is not always easy. We all have burdens that we carry, and sometimes we carry those burdens into the worship service. One of the other blessings of the worship service is that it is a place, and time, for us to let go, and rest in God's presence. We take this time to sing because we can. We can leave our burdens at God's feet and take this time to worship. We can, as the Psalmist says, sing joyfully to the Lord. And we can do that because we are freed from everything when we come into God's house. Even when things are going wrong we can still sing joyfully because we can leave those burdens at the feet of the Lord. Lay your burdens at God's feet and worship him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Vacation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will be on vacation from June 2-5, 2010. There will be posts during this time. Posting will resume on June 6, 2010. If you need anything while I am away please get in touch with one of the Church Elders. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><

Psalm 32: 1-11

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has blessed all of us so much, but the greatest blessing of all is the blessing of salvation. We have been saved by God through his Son, Jesus. And because of that wonderful blessing we are counted as children of God. We are all going to be able to enter into God's kingdom and live eternally in the presence of our creator and Lord. We are given the opportunity in life to worship the King and share His name with those around us. We are blessed to have God's presence in our life each and every day through the power of the Holy Spirit. All of this is possible because we are saved from sin. Our lives have been blessed beyond count through the salvation that has been granted to us through Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
<><