Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
In many ways it is fitting that a 'Praise Psalm' would follow the Psalm from yesterday. Yesterday the Psalmist was in the midst of a very dark day, and so he prayed a dark prayer. Today, though, the Psalmist has awoken to a new, beautiful morning in which the sun is shining bright. God has carried the psalmist through the time of difficulty, and the psalmist is grateful for that. We all follow this pattern at some point in our lives. We all go through times of darkness. And we are all lifted out of those times by God. When we are we need to be thankful, to praise God for the help he has given. Praise God for his love and strength in your life, both of which brought you from darkness to light. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Sunday Scripture and Sermon for Septembr 26, 2010
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Luke 16: 19-31, in which Jesus tells the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The sermon is titled 'Before It's Too Late' and will focus on the need we all have to live according to Christ's will now before it's too late for us to make a change. 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 Luke 16: 19-31, in which Jesus tells the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. The sermon is titled 'Before It's Too Late' and will focus on the need we all have to live according to Christ's will now before it's too late for us to make a change. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Psalm 137: 1-9
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
In many ways this Psalm is very troubling. The last verse alone causes us to wonder how these words managed to make it into Scripture. Psalms are, among other things, prayers. And as we read those horrifying words the thought we can take with us is that we are allowed, and encouraged, to be completely and totally honest with God. We do not need to wear a censor when we are praying. Whatever is on our mind, or in our heart, should be brought before God's throne. The reason for this is simple: only God can help us get rid of those thoughts. If we feel angry, God can help take it away. If we feel sadness, loneliness, anxiety, rage, hatred, etc. God can help us with those feelings. With that in mind we are encouraged to lay our burdens at the throne of grace and ask for God's help. Be honest with God. Tell him how you're feeling. Allow him to help you move past it. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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In many ways this Psalm is very troubling. The last verse alone causes us to wonder how these words managed to make it into Scripture. Psalms are, among other things, prayers. And as we read those horrifying words the thought we can take with us is that we are allowed, and encouraged, to be completely and totally honest with God. We do not need to wear a censor when we are praying. Whatever is on our mind, or in our heart, should be brought before God's throne. The reason for this is simple: only God can help us get rid of those thoughts. If we feel angry, God can help take it away. If we feel sadness, loneliness, anxiety, rage, hatred, etc. God can help us with those feelings. With that in mind we are encouraged to lay our burdens at the throne of grace and ask for God's help. Be honest with God. Tell him how you're feeling. Allow him to help you move past it. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Psalm 136: 1-26
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
I love this Psalm because it does something I have always thought about doing in my own life: it makes a list of all the blessings God has given me. You can almost see the Psalmist here writing these words. He is going through the history of the world and making a list of what God has done. I do not have enough time, or paper, to make a list of all the blessings God has given me, and the same is probably true for most of us. However, that does not mean we should not think of specific blessings. We should be mindful of what God has given, not just in the general sense, but in the specific sense as well. Take time to think about the specific blessings God has given you, and be sure to thank him, too. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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I love this Psalm because it does something I have always thought about doing in my own life: it makes a list of all the blessings God has given me. You can almost see the Psalmist here writing these words. He is going through the history of the world and making a list of what God has done. I do not have enough time, or paper, to make a list of all the blessings God has given me, and the same is probably true for most of us. However, that does not mean we should not think of specific blessings. We should be mindful of what God has given, not just in the general sense, but in the specific sense as well. Take time to think about the specific blessings God has given you, and be sure to thank him, too. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Psalm 135: 1-21
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
'The Lord does whatever pleases him.' God's will is not always our will. We make our prayers, we ask for things. Sometimes we pray for healing, financial stability, gas prices, or any number of other things. Praying for those things is OK. God wants to hear from us, to hear what we want, and what we need. We need to keep in mind, though, that our will does not always match up with God's will. We can ask for whatever we want, but God is going to give us, or not give us, what we truly need. What we truly need may not be what we want, but God knows what is best for us. His love for us knows no end and in that love God has a plan, a will, for us in our lives. When we pray, we need to always pray the prayer Jesus taught which says, among other things, 'thy will be done.' God's will is not always our will. We need to keep that in mind, and also that God loves us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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'The Lord does whatever pleases him.' God's will is not always our will. We make our prayers, we ask for things. Sometimes we pray for healing, financial stability, gas prices, or any number of other things. Praying for those things is OK. God wants to hear from us, to hear what we want, and what we need. We need to keep in mind, though, that our will does not always match up with God's will. We can ask for whatever we want, but God is going to give us, or not give us, what we truly need. What we truly need may not be what we want, but God knows what is best for us. His love for us knows no end and in that love God has a plan, a will, for us in our lives. When we pray, we need to always pray the prayer Jesus taught which says, among other things, 'thy will be done.' God's will is not always our will. We need to keep that in mind, and also that God loves us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Monday, September 20, 2010
Psalm 134: 1-3
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
'Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.' Worship should move us to excitement. When that excitement comes sometimes we raise our hands, sometimes we sway gently back and forth, and sometimes we simply bow our heads in adoration. Whatever act of worship the Spirit moves you to perform do not be shy about performing it. Be excited to be in God's presence and allow yourself to be moved, in some way, by the Holy Spirit. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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'Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.' Worship should move us to excitement. When that excitement comes sometimes we raise our hands, sometimes we sway gently back and forth, and sometimes we simply bow our heads in adoration. Whatever act of worship the Spirit moves you to perform do not be shy about performing it. Be excited to be in God's presence and allow yourself to be moved, in some way, by the Holy Spirit. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Sunday, September 19, 2010
Psalm 133: 1-3
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity." A house divided against itself cannot stand. We are split, which is not good. The church is in bad shape because all we can seem to do is fight amongst ourselves. We all need to work hard at being ONE body, so we can fulfill the ministry of Christ and bring honor and glory to God. We need to be united, not divided as we are now. Let us find a way to work together so we can be one, as Christ would have us be. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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"How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity." A house divided against itself cannot stand. We are split, which is not good. The church is in bad shape because all we can seem to do is fight amongst ourselves. We all need to work hard at being ONE body, so we can fulfill the ministry of Christ and bring honor and glory to God. We need to be united, not divided as we are now. Let us find a way to work together so we can be one, as Christ would have us be. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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