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
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Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
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
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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
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Monday, June 28, 2010
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
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"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
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Sunday, June 27, 2010
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
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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
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Saturday, June 26, 2010
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
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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
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Friday, June 25, 2010
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
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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
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Thursday, June 24, 2010
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
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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
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