Tag: Sunday rest and reflection
Sunday rest and reflection:God’s promises!
Dear friends,
Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd of His sheep! I am sure glad that I am one of His sheep! I want for nothing today because of His bountiful provisions in the green pastures and beside the still waters. I am comforted by his rod and staff protecting and guiding me. He is leading me and I fear no evil because of His watchful care. I can rest and enjoy safe pasture! This is what the day of rest is all about and we can enjoy it today and each day of the coming week in Jesus!
As I think back on this week’s reading in Ezekiel, I think about a passage that I wanted to write about but didn’t. Ezekiel 34 was a message to the shepherds of Israel who have been mistreating the flocks. In this passage, God stated that He would remove these shepherds. Then, in a series of “I Will” promises, He stated how He would shepherd the flock that belonged to Him! God would search for His lost sheep! He would rescue them and bring them out of the nations. He would pasture them on the choice mountain fields of Israel. He, Himself, would tend to their wounds and bind them up. He was going to place over them ‘one shepherd’, from the house of David, who would truly care for them and He would live among them forever!
Wow! What a vision and word from the Lord! All His promises are “Yes!” and “Amen!”. He has already fulfilled this promise to those who have received Jesus Christ as their Good Shepherd. He’s now about His business of rounding up the lost sheep and bringing them into the fold. He is binding up their wounds and leading them to the green pastures and still waters! Take time on this day of rest to thank your Good Shepherd for His wonderful care. Sit under one of His undershepherds and spend time with His people in worship and adoration, preparing for the glorious fulfilment of these wonderful promises! Jesus is coming soon! In Eager Anticipation, Pastor John
Sunday rest and reflection: the glory of God
Dear Friends,
Another needed day of rest, worship, fellowship and refreshing! I am ready for a great day of resting in Christ and allowing His peace and presence to come into clearer focus in my life. Life is busy and I often find myself going from one meeting to another and one appointment to another without a break. Something is always needing attention or fixing. On the day of rest, I need fixing by enjoying the glory of His presence!
In reflecting on this past weeks reading in Ezekiel, I am impressed by Ezekiel’s visions of the glory of God. Ezekiel saw things in heaven around the throne of God’s glory that he had trouble describing in earthly language or word pictures. How does a finite creature describe an infinite being? The glory of God was life-changing for Ezekiel. He was encouraged and motivated to speak God’s message and obey even difficult assignments that would be uncomfortable and even dangerous.
The saddest part of this past week’s reading was the part where God’s glory reluctantly left the Temple and city that God loved. God tried over and over to make a place for His glory in the midst of His people. They refused to honor Him and worship Him in Spirit and truth. He withdrew His glory to show them what darkness was in them. It was truly a dark time in the history of God’s people.
I am thankful that God’s glory now resides in His church among His people. He has filled His church with His glory. The day of Pentecost brought a rushing wind and tongues of fire bringing glory back to His living stones in the New Temple. We are now being transformed by the glory of God living in our midst personally and corporately. We have new revelations of that glory daily as we walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit fills us with power to share His glory with others! Sunday morning worship explodes with God’s glory descending into the midst of His worshiping church! Would that we do everything we can to welcome the God of glory today! We never want to see Him take His glory and depart! In His Love and Glory, Pastor John
Sunday rest and reflection-trust and obey!
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ! Another week has flown by and we have another opportunity to enjoy a Sabbath rest. We can join with others of precious faith and worship and pray together. The church is the Bride of Christ and meets together to prepare for His coming and to reach out to those who are yet to know Him. The Sabbath is for man’s benefit and blessing.
As I reflect back on this week’s readings in Jeremiah, I am again encouraged with the simplicity of God’s message to His children. Trust and obedience will bring blessing! It is so simple yet it seems to be so difficult for the people of God to trust Him! We see over and over people who say they want to hear His word and follow His directions turning the other way and doing their own thing. This always leads to disastrous consequences and they are warned again and again that these consequences will come. Who will deliver them from these fatal errors?
A group of people mentioned by Jeremiah and singled out by God for blessing were the Recabites. (Jeremiah 35) These people had sworn in a covenant oath to their father Jonadab that they would not drink wine, plant grapes, sow seed, or build houses but would live in tents. This people had been faithful to their oath for years. Jeremiah tried to entice them to drink wine and they refused. They were commended as being faithful to their oath while the Israelites had broken their covenant vows to God to be faithful over and over. (Jeremiah 35:18-19) These Recabites were rewarded and commended for their faithfulness! They had learned to trust and obey their earthly father while the Isrealites refused to trust and obey their heavenly father! Even in their limited obedience, they still needed God’s grace because they too were sinners.
Thanks be to God for He did for us what we could not do! We have the Holy Spirit living in us today and God’s power and presence to enable us to live holy, obedient lives of faith. We have the New Covenant and God’s law written on our hearts and minds as promised through the prophet Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 31:31-34) We are born again by the Spirit, living seed of God’s word, and adopted as God’s children. We are being transformed daily by the Spirit by an ever-increasing glory! Trust and obedience should be so much easier for us under the Spirit than for those who lived under the law. Check your trust level in Jesus Christ, the one who totally trusted and obeyed on our behalf! Rest in His complete obedience and grace today! In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday rest and reflection:fire in the bones!
Dear Friends,
Greetings in the beautiful Name of Jesus Christ, our heavenly Rest! One of the things that is good to do on days of rest is to spend time with God’s people studying God’s word and hearing a message from God through His word. God’s word is full of God. It is Spirit and life and brings light to our path and a lamp to our feet. (John 6:63) (Psalm 119:105) His word is eternal because Jesus Christ is the eternal Word made flesh. (John 1:14)
In our readings through Jeremiah last week, we often saw Jeremiah speaking the ‘word of the Lord’ to God’s people. After all, it was God’s word that had sent him in the first place! (Jeremiah 1:4-5) On one occasion, he stood outside the temple and spoke that word to those who were entering to worship. On other occasions, he would use an object lesson and then share God’s word with the people. The word of God was bringing light and God’s heart to the people who heard it, but they often rejected it and refused to listen. On one occasion they plotted Jeremiah’s murder! (Jeremiah 11:21)
In fact, Jeremiah got so tired of the rejection, plots of murder, and reproach, that he wanted to quit preaching the word of God. But as he tried to do that, he found that the word was like a fire in his bones! (Jeremiah 20:9) That fire is the power of God in the word to produce what God desires from His word! (Isaiah 55:10-11) God’s purposes are fulfilled with His word! No word of God is void of power! Jeremiah went on to state that the Lord was with him like a mighty warrior! (Jeremiah 20:11) He knew through the word of God that all his enemies would stumble and fall and be defeated. God would give him the victory! God’s word would produce results that assured victory!
Today, take fire into your bones by allowing God’s word to reside in your heart. God’s word brings faith to accomplish all that is written! It will move you forward in discouraging situations and overcome opposition! May you be baptized in a fresh way with the Holy Spirit and fire! In the fire of His love, Pastor John
Sunday Rest and Reflection–People of Zion!
Dear “People of Zion”,
As I look back on the week’s reading in Isaiah, God’s great understanding of individuals and nations and His control of history amazes me! God is on a throne, high and lifted up! He is worthy of worship and adoration! He has plans that He has brought to pass and others that await fulfillment. He raises up nations and leaders and brings them down just as easily. He is just and righteous in all He does and is always merciful to those who trust in Him and walk by faith.
Those who trust in Him are often call by the name: “People of Zion”. (Isaiah 12:6) Mt. Zion was the city stronghold of the Jebusites that was captured by King David. It became the “city of David”. It was here that God had His Temple built by Solomon and had His dwelling place among the Israelites in the promised land. Zion was a place that the Lord loved. (Psalm 78:68) It is the city chosen by God to install His King! (Psalm 2:6) The Lord’s blessing flows out of Zion to His people. (Psalm 128:5) God is laying a cornerstone in Zion that will be precious for His people! (Isaiah 28:16) It is a place that is loved by those who love the Lord! He is there and His presence makes that place more special than any other on earth!
In Isaiah 12, God is telling His people that they will be comforted from all their troubles and afflictions one day. They can trust in God and not be afraid. He is their strength and song, and has become their salvation. (Isaiah 12:2-3) With joy they will draw water from the wells of salvation in Zion. From Zion, they will make known what The Lord has done to save them. They will exalt His name among the nations. God’s program has always been world-wide in scope. They can sing and shout for joy because of God in their midst.
Wow! We are now people of Zion too! We can publish to the nations that our God saves. He is our strength and song. We have drunk the water from the well that never runs dry. God has done glorious things for us! He is great among the “people of Zion” because He lives in us today and forever!
Take time to reflect on Isaiah 12 and this city of Zion. What a way to find rest and confidence in our great God and the Cornerstone He has laid for us in Zion! (Isaiah 28:16)
In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday rest and reflection: Immanuel
Greetings! God bless your day of rest! God is with us and we are safe and secure in His amazing love!
As we have read through the books of Solomon and now are beginning Isaiah, there are many topics that we could reflect on. We could reflect on the life of Solomon who began so well. He was visited by the Lord and was told that he could ask the Lord for anything. Solomon wisely chose to ask for wisdom to govern the people of God. God gave him wisdom and riches and honor as well. (1st Kings 3:5-12) He had this wisdom and wrote it down for us in the book of Proverbs. He later violated the Word of God and took many wives from many lands. These women corrupted him and led him into idolatry. The book of Ecclesiastes is written later in his life and is a depressing account of his quest to find meaning in life under the sun! The Song of Songs was probably written early in his life when he was close to God.
Even wise men go astray and God knew that man needed something more than a temple and animal sacrifices. Just seeing God in a vision or having a Word from Him failed to prevent a man’s downfall. Isaiah was given the task of telling God’s backslidden people, these descendants of David and Solomon, about God’s plan. About 700 years before Christ, Isaiah spoke a word from the Lord which was written down for us. “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) (Matthew 1:20-23) Matthew quoted this verse in his recounting of the birth of Jesus Christ, saying that Jesus’ birth was a fulfillment of what the Lord had spoken through the prophet Isaiah!
Mankind experienced “God with us” in the physical person of Jesus Christ for 33 years. He lived among His people, the Jews. They saw Him and heard His authoritative teaching and experienced His miraculous works. His bigger goal was to have each of His followers throughout history to be indwelled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would be “God with us” to each individual as well as to His people when they gathered together in His name. For nearly 2000 years this special empowerment has been available to believers everywhere who have asked for it. ‘God with us’ is the mark of the New Testament Christian. ‘God with us’ keeps us fresh and moving towards the goal of seeing the Lord. We are so blessed to live in the wonderful dispensation of “Immanuel”!
Sunday rest and reflection–loving enemies!
Dear Friends,
Greetings on this day of rest! One of the things that we as Christians can rest from is getting even! The competitive spirit that is in our flesh is always looking for ways to get even or make someone who hurts us suffer. The old saying “I don’t get mad, I get even” has caused lots of trouble over the years.
As I read through the Proverbs this week, I noticed several scriptures dealing with this ancient problem of getting even. Proverbs 24:29 warns us not to say “I’ll do to him as he has done to me; I’ll pay that man back for what he did.” All vengeance belongs to God alone. Only He knows the heart of a person well enough to properly reward or punish that person for their wrong actions. God desires to forgive and heal the wrongs rather than judge anyone.
Proverbs 26:21-22 is another difficult scripture for us to understand and apply sometimes. It tells us to act in kindness toward our enemies and try to meet their needs. If they are hungry we are to feed them and if they are thirsty we are to give them something to drink. Our acts of kindness is likened to heaping burning coals on our enemy’s head. This purposeful acting in love will bring the notice of God and He will reward us. It will also possibly produce a repentance and healing with our enemy whereas if we got even, we would only prolong the battle and bad attitudes would continue.
Jesus Christ perfectly exhibited this healthy attitude toward those who hated him. He purposely forgave them and asked God to forgive them. He taught His disciples to love their enemies and do good to those who would despitefully use them. (Matthew 5:43-48) Some of His final words were “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.” (Matthew 23:34) These words exemplify the teaching of Jesus Christ and the love of the Father for those caught in sin and bondage! What love is this toward those who acted so hatefully!
May we be filled with the same love today for those who hate us and would despitefully use us! This kind of love comes from the heart of God by the Holy Spirit! Take time and ask God to fill you again with His love for the lost and for our enemies! God bless you in the coming week! In His Love, Pastor John
Sunday rest and reflection: wise living!
Dear Friends, Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ, the only wise God! What a day to be alive and learning to know and love God! The signs are everywhere of the last days and God’s Word tells us to live wisely and make the most of our time as we see the Day of Christ approaching. (Ephesians 5:15-16) Those who are righteous will become more righteous and live by the Spirit, following Christ more closely. Those who are wicked will become more wicked, following their own flesh and the evil spirits of this world more closely. (Revelation 22:10-11)
As we begin a study of Proverbs in our daily reading, we are exposed to wisdom for successful daily living in this world. The proverbs were wise sayings and nuggets of God’s truth that would help to discern the right path. These truths were particularly helpful to youth and children who were beginning their walk through life. Parents were to teach their children wise living. They taught by impressing truth on the hearts of the young during daily meals, Sabbath day church gatherings, work, and sharing at bedtime around the fire.
Wise living always centered on loving God and obeying His commandments. This wisdom has it’s beginning in a deep respect for God as Creator and giver of life! The term used in Scripture is the ‘fear of the Lord’. Parents teach the ‘fear of the Lord’ by their attitude towards God and God’s house. Regular church attendance and worship is a good indication of a desire to live wisely. Daily study of the Word of God and prayer are spiritual disciplines that indicate a desire to know God’s will in order to submit to it and obey it. Wise living honors God’s Word as the rule of faith and practice. We treat it with respect and believe it is truth–all of it! When we cut out parts of the Bible because it doesn’t line up with what ‘science’ teaches or with what we want to believe, then we have lost our fear of the Lord and our ability to know truth. This is a dangerous place to be!
In the last days, men will refuse a love of the truth, believe a lie, and end up in damnation. (2nd Thessalonians 2:9-12) When we have no fear of God or His Word, a delusion of deception blinds us even further. We lose our ability to discern right from wrong. We end up delighting in wickedness and going to our destruction. Now is the time to press on to know the Lord and live wisely in obedience and faith. Jesus is coming soon! (Revelation 22:20)
Sunday rest and reflection–“This is the Day”
Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ! Wow, another day of rest in a long week of activities! We so need the reminder to rest and be refreshed! I pray that you enjoy the best day of the week today!
As I reflect on the readings of this past week, one of the psalms comes immediately to mind. I wanted to write on it, but found nuggets in two other psalms for that day’s reading. The psalm is 118. The very center of the Bible, as far as number of verses, is Psalm 118:8: “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man”. This really mirrors the theme of the entire Bible. This chapter occurs between the shortest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 117, and the longest chapter in the Bible, Psalm 119.
This chapter is also the last of a series of psalms called the “Hallel”, which is the Hebrew word for “praise the Lord”! This series from Psalm 111-118 was read during Passover week and Psalm 118 concluded the Passover meal as the final cup was taken and the coming Messiah was anticipated. Jesus most likely would have read this psalm at the last supper with His disciples before He led them out to the Garden of Gethsemane. Let’s think about the words of this prophetic psalm in light of where Jesus would have read it.
The psalm begins with thanks to the Lord for His goodness and love. The psalmist records his anguish of crying out to the Lord and the Lord setting him free. (Psalm 118:5-6) He was convinced that the Lord was with him and that was all the help he would need in this painful situation. The psalmist is surrounded by the nations on every side, but in the name of the Lord he cuts them off. They swarmed around him like bees, but he cut them off again. (Psalm 118:10-12) He was about to fall, but the Lord helped him. He became his strength and song, and ultimately his salvation. The Lord’s right hand is lifted high and does mighty things! (Psalm 118:15-16)
The psalmist next proclaims that he will live and not die, but proclaim what the Lord has done! God had chastened him severely, but not given him over to death. He would proclaim what the Lord had done for him! He cries out to open the gates of righteousness which the righteous may enter and thank the Lord for His goodness and salvation. God, Himself, had become his salvation! The Lord, Himself had done this–what a marvelous sight! (Psalm 118:17-23) The cornerstone that the builders had rejected had become the chief cornerstone!
Psalm 118:24 declares that: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!” The day was that day, beginning with sundown passover until the next evening. That day was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for our sins! He was not given over to death, only chastened severely by the Lord! The gate of righteousness was opened for all who would believe! The Lord did it all! It is marvelous in our eyes! Hallelujah!
Sunday rest and reflection–Moses’ psalm.
Greetings on this another day to rest and worship! God’s praises have been sung throughout eternity by those whom He has created. Our God is worthy of praise for many reasons! He is creator, redeemer, sustainer, lover of men, life-giver, all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere present, full of compassion for the hurting and weak, protector of widows and orphans, and ultimately the judge of all men and angels!
The oldest psalm in the psalter comes from the pen of Moses, the man of God, who lived about 1500 years before Christ. Indications are that Moses wrote this psalm during the 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Moses proclaimed God as man’s dwelling place from generations past, back to the very first man! (Psalm 90:1) Moses knew and worshiped God as creator and the everlasting God who sits above time and history. (Psalm 90:2-4) God is in control of all life and ultimately judges all sin because He knows about all sin. Man’s time on earth is short and full of trouble because of this sin and death ends our stay here as a result of sin. (Psalm 90:4-10)
Moses petitioned God for an understanding of our short time here on earth that we might have a heart of wisdom. We need God’s mercy and compassion in our lives in order to understand life. We need God’s love to know how to love and live effectively. Moses asks for God’s blessing and favor on His people, particularly the children. Passing the torch of faith is important to Moses. This is important work that needs to be established! We all long for lasting significance and fulfilled purpose. Moses was no different.
As you rest this Lord’s day, thank Him for eternal life and the promises of God we have in Jesus Christ. Moses was wandering in the wilderness experiencing God’s wrath and walking by faith. We now have the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and are blessed and favored people. Moses’ psalm gives us food for thought and reason for thanks! Have a great week in the Lord! In His Love, Pastor John