Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is not a lot of compassion in this story. Samson is, for lack of a better word, mean to his guests in giving them a riddle they cannot explain. Samson's guests, in turn, are impatient and threaten to burn Samson's wife and her family if they were not given the answer. Samson's wife goes behind her husband's back and gives the answer of the riddle to the guests. Samson then responds by wreaking havoc on the folks from Ashkelon. Where is the forgiveness and the love? As we read this story of, almost, day-to-day life we can be reminded of our own day-to-day lives. When we look back on our day we should ask ourselves, 'when did I act in anger, resentment, vengeance, secrecy, etc. when I should have acted in compassion.' There is always an opportunity to act in compassion and love. We need to seize those opportunities. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Sunday, December 6, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Judges 13: 1-25; The Birth of Samson
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
God is not bound by anything. Here we find another birth miracle. Think of Abraham and Sarah. They were both 'getting along in years,' and believed that their time of being able to have a child had passed them by. Manoah's wife is sterile and is 'unable' to bear any children. And yet to her is born Samson who accomplishes great things in his life. No matter what the world tells us we need to remember that God can do anything. Stories like this are important because they remind us that God has power to perform miracles in the world. Never forget that our God is bound by nothing. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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God is not bound by anything. Here we find another birth miracle. Think of Abraham and Sarah. They were both 'getting along in years,' and believed that their time of being able to have a child had passed them by. Manoah's wife is sterile and is 'unable' to bear any children. And yet to her is born Samson who accomplishes great things in his life. No matter what the world tells us we need to remember that God can do anything. Stories like this are important because they remind us that God has power to perform miracles in the world. Never forget that our God is bound by nothing. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Friday, December 4, 2009
Judges 12: 8-15; Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
When I read passages like this I cannot help but wonder what these folks were like. We are not told anything beyond the fact that they 'led Israel.' In the end, though, I guess their service to God mattered more than anything else. I am sure they accomplished so much more than what we are told here, but the one thing their number one priority was serving the Lord. There is a lesson in there for us. We do so much. We all have jobs where we complete one project after another; we all have milestones and other accomplishments in our lives. But above all that is, or should be, our service to God. We are Christians, the children of God. As such, we are called into God's service. Amidst the craziness of this life we need to remember that our number one priority is to serve the Lord. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
When I read passages like this I cannot help but wonder what these folks were like. We are not told anything beyond the fact that they 'led Israel.' In the end, though, I guess their service to God mattered more than anything else. I am sure they accomplished so much more than what we are told here, but the one thing their number one priority was serving the Lord. There is a lesson in there for us. We do so much. We all have jobs where we complete one project after another; we all have milestones and other accomplishments in our lives. But above all that is, or should be, our service to God. We are Christians, the children of God. As such, we are called into God's service. Amidst the craziness of this life we need to remember that our number one priority is to serve the Lord. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Sunday Scripture and Sermon for December 6, 2009
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Malachi 3: 1-4, in which the prophet gives us some words concerning the Messiah. The sermon is titled 'God's Plan,' and will focus on God's plan for our salvation becoming a reality in, through, and as Jesus Christ. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Malachi 3: 1-4, in which the prophet gives us some words concerning the Messiah. The sermon is titled 'God's Plan,' and will focus on God's plan for our salvation becoming a reality in, through, and as Jesus Christ. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Judges 12: 1-7; Jephthah and Ephraim
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
"Shibboleth" has often been referred to as a secret password. For those in this passage who were unable to pronounce it trouble ensued. The word has gone on to be used by many groups to separate themselves from others and establish exclusive clubs. We, as Christians, have a password. However, it is much easier to pronounce and remember. Our password is Jesus. Anyone who confesses Jesus as personal lord and savior is 'admitted' to the 'club.' One of the things we need to keep in mind, though, is that we do not get to decide who gets to become a part of this faith. That decision rests with God. Our part is to welcome with open arms anyone who accepts Jesus. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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"Shibboleth" has often been referred to as a secret password. For those in this passage who were unable to pronounce it trouble ensued. The word has gone on to be used by many groups to separate themselves from others and establish exclusive clubs. We, as Christians, have a password. However, it is much easier to pronounce and remember. Our password is Jesus. Anyone who confesses Jesus as personal lord and savior is 'admitted' to the 'club.' One of the things we need to keep in mind, though, is that we do not get to decide who gets to become a part of this faith. That decision rests with God. Our part is to welcome with open arms anyone who accepts Jesus. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Judges 10: 6- 11: 40; Jephthah
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jephthah makes the ultimate offering. There is a considerable amount of Biblical scholarship to suggest that Jephthah does not actually kill his daughter. Rather, Jephthah dedicates his daughter to the worship of the Lord. For her entire life Jephthah's daughter is not allowed to marry, have children, etc. Jephthah offers his daughter to the Lord rather than allowing her to get married and have children. In a time when dowries meant a lot, and children were the way to carry on the way of life, this should be seen as a great offering Jephthah has made. What sacrifices are we willing to make? I am in no way suggesting we sacrifice our children, but there are many things we have that could be offered to the Lord's service. Are we going to keep those things close to us, or are we going to dedicate them to the Lord? God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Jephthah makes the ultimate offering. There is a considerable amount of Biblical scholarship to suggest that Jephthah does not actually kill his daughter. Rather, Jephthah dedicates his daughter to the worship of the Lord. For her entire life Jephthah's daughter is not allowed to marry, have children, etc. Jephthah offers his daughter to the Lord rather than allowing her to get married and have children. In a time when dowries meant a lot, and children were the way to carry on the way of life, this should be seen as a great offering Jephthah has made. What sacrifices are we willing to make? I am in no way suggesting we sacrifice our children, but there are many things we have that could be offered to the Lord's service. Are we going to keep those things close to us, or are we going to dedicate them to the Lord? God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Judges 10: 3-5; Jair
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
We know very little about Jair, but one thing we do is that he is blessed. We are told here that he has 30 sons. Children are a great blessing from the Lord and the fact that Jair has been blessed (at least) 30 times highlights the fact that God blesses us as we go through life. It goes without saying that not everyone is blessed with children, but God blesses us all abundantly in one way or another. We recently celebrated Thanksgiving, a time when we are to give thanks for the many blessings God has given to us. Do not let that act of thanksgiving be a one-time event. We should always give thanks for the many blessings God has given us. God blesses Jair, God blesses us. We should be mindful of those blessings and remember to thank God for them. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
We know very little about Jair, but one thing we do is that he is blessed. We are told here that he has 30 sons. Children are a great blessing from the Lord and the fact that Jair has been blessed (at least) 30 times highlights the fact that God blesses us as we go through life. It goes without saying that not everyone is blessed with children, but God blesses us all abundantly in one way or another. We recently celebrated Thanksgiving, a time when we are to give thanks for the many blessings God has given to us. Do not let that act of thanksgiving be a one-time event. We should always give thanks for the many blessings God has given us. God blesses Jair, God blesses us. We should be mindful of those blessings and remember to thank God for them. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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