Good morning!

​Especially in Matthew's Gospel, Jesus is often found sharing and teaching through parables. Here is an example followed by some thoughts about this.
 
Matthew 13:3-9 “Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Whoever has ears, let them hear.””
 
Many of those reading this have heard this part of the Matthew’s Gospel and know that what follows is the disciples asking why Jesus spoke in parables. We know from His response that, if our heart is hard our eyes and ears will be closed and we will miss His message and call to us.
 
A few years back, this part of the Gospel was the main reading and basis of the sermon which focused on an idea related to this – the idea of commitment (commitment as an inflexion point or an enunciation…)…when we make our commitment to Christ, our surrender to Him, our eyes and ears are opened.
 
We know this is not a one-time event – that keeping our eyes and ears open means deepening our relationship with Christ. What makes that possible is God is now indwelling through the Holy Spirit.
 
So how can we deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ?
 
As I was listening to that sermon, a clear thought came to mind about the idea of “good soil” or “rich soil”…our soil – our hearts become good or rich when we spend time with God… through His Word…we can enrich the soil of our faith and how we live it every day, we can enrich the openness of the hearts (openness of the soil to receive and nurture truth) by spending time in God’s Word.
 
And for me, this thought becomes really interesting when you read John 1:1-5 and 1:14:
 
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
 
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
 
Here John shares that the Word of God is not just scripture, it is God, through Jesus Christ, the Word became one of us.
 
For me, this seems to tie things together – even with Jesus back in heaven, we have God with us through the Holy Spirit and we have God’s Word in scripture which tells us the Word was God. So, if we want to enrich the soil of our hearts, open our eyes and ears, and to really understand and embrace our relationship with Christ, have our faith grow and be shared in the world, and for Christ’s light to shine and overcome darkness…we need to spend time in the Word – it will bring us to closer to God.
 
So much for my musings. 

What do you see in the soil of your heart?

Is it rich from time with God, in His Word?

Or is suffering from lack of water and nutrients?
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that each of us are finding time daily to enrich the soil of our hearts, where our faith is nurtured and grown through the Your presence through the Holy Spirit, by being in the Word! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

I think the last several years, which have at times seemed surreal, dreamlike at times and even nightmarish at other times, have driven me deeper into my faith. My desire to know my Savior, Lord Jesus, to walk with him, has been a constant drum beat in my life, getting more intense as each day passes. Maybe, just maybe, it is the ticking of the clock, my getting older…LOL, but I don’t think so. God has placed on my heart the consuming desire to know Him, to know Him through His Son, Jesus.
 
So with that as a back drop, I reached back to some past thoughts on what it means to be a Christ follower:
 
“A Christian is: a mind through which Christ thinks, a heart through which Christ loves, a voice through which Christ speaks, and a hand through which Christ helps.”
Saint Augustine
 
When I saw this quote it just resonated with me. It seems to speak to the idea that living as a Christian is being a person that produces fruit in living, fruit that flows out of faith founded in God’s gift of mercy and grace, leading us to surrender our lives to Christ, laying our lives down, picking up our cross to follow Jesus, living for Him and His glory, not for ourselves.
 

• A mind through which Christ thinks – see Philippians 2:5-8 – “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

 
Other related verses - 1 Corinthians 2:16; Luke 19:10; Luke 5:16; Matthew 9:36. A commentary from one person about what the mind of Christ means – “Having the mind of Christ means we understand God’s plan in the world—to bring glory to Himself, restore creation to its original splendor, and provide salvation for sinners.”
 

• A heart through which Christ loves – see Matthew 11:29 – “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” In just reading this verse , I can almost sense the gentleness of Jesus and His deep and abiding love.

 

• A voice through which Christ speaks – as we study the Word (see John 1:1-5 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” ), we become equipped by Christ to actively share the Good News – both that we are all sinners, not one of us has our own righteousness (Romans 3:9-11), and then that indeed, through Christ’s perfect sacrifice we can be saved (John 3:16-18). We are a voice that Christ can use.

 

• A hand through which Christ helps – see Matthew 25:34-36 – “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’” Our hearts ought to be so full of Christ’s presence through the Holy Spirit, that we bear this kind of fruit of service to others, putting ourselves aside to see to the needs of others. In this we do need to remember that our motive in this work is not earning salvation, but rather an outpouring of the love, grace and mercy we received when we became children of God (see Ephesians 2:8–9). Other related scripture references include: James 1:27; Mark 1:40-41;

 
This quote evokes the idea of transformation and sanctification – the change that happens when we are reborn and become children of God. We are dependent on Christ through the Holy Spirit to live transformed lives, lives that reflect the light of Christ. We become a tool, servant of Christ when we surrender our lives to him. The more we trust and are fully surrendered the more our lives look like that of Christ.

How is God moving you to deepen your relationship with Him? In what ways are you seeking Jesus? 
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is that we each can open up ourselves to know Jesus more deeply and then to let Him, through the Holy Spirit, to fully use us – mind, heart, voice and hands – to share Him with the world, to shine His light! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

Have you ever been reading a book or listening to something and the words you are reading or hearing just hit you right between the eyes? And the experience leaves you thinking wow, why did I not see that or understand that before? And all of a sudden you know that your understanding is deeper than it had been before?
 
A few years ago, a couple things that I was involved in overlapped and resulted (at least I hope so) in a deeper understanding of God’s Word.
 
First, one of the things our IT team at FMSC did while I was there, was to have a monthly meeting where we focused on spiritual growth and team building to help us stay on the same page.

For several months we were reading Francis Chan’s book “Crazy Love, Overwhelmed by a relentless God”. The month we were preparing to review chapters 5 and 6 is when some things came together for me. This book is convicting and illuminating in so many different ways but three things jumped out at me in chapter 6 at that time, that I want to talk about in this blog post.
 
And these three things overlap what was being covered in Bible Study Fellowship at that time, as we walked through the Gospel of Matthew that year. I saw a few connections.
 
Regarding the first one found In chapter 6 of the book, Francis Chan brings up two pieces of scripture
– Philippians 2:6-11 where Paul talks about how Jesus lowered Himself to the point of being nothing and to the point of dying on the cross for us – He did this for anyone, anyone who would heed God’s call
- Matthew 25:31-43 where Jesus contrasts those on His left and right. The ones who served the least of these and those who did not
 
In one case Jesus models how we treat others as God’s image bearers by lowering ourselves in service to them – sometimes even to the point of dying for them. In the other case, Jesus shares that the Father sees how we treat the least of these and whether we lowered ourselves in our life in service to others seeing them as image bearers or whether we did what we did for others selfishly – to check a box or to look good to others.
 
Connecting this to the study of Matthew in BSF this year, we see two stories of Jesus feeding the crowds – one group of 5000 and one of 4000. (See Matthew 14:15-20 and Matthew 15:32-37). In both cases Jesus calls out his disciples asking them to have the compassion He had for the crowd, to see them as fellow image bearers – telling them that they should feed the crowd.
 
This particular scripture also ties to the two other items I will bring up but for the first thing that hit me between the eyes – so this first thought - clearly how our hearts view others is critical and this question by Francis Chan in chapter 6 left me convicted:
 
“How would my life change if I actually thought of each person I came into contact with as Christ?” Even as I type this I am caught short by God – this is a question I should answer every day with my actions and interactions.
 
I could say so much more here but there were two other things I wanted to share so moving on…so the second item Francis points out is this – “Jesus was forcing His disciples to trust Him.”. We see that clearly above in the feeding of the 5000 and the 4000. We fear something God is calling us out to do is too big for us, so we find it hard to put our feet into motion. When I worked at FMSC, I loved how the focus was on Christ and because of that the executive team lived on the edge financially choosing to not have a lot of buffer but rather to feed more kids.

This is the sort of trust Jesus is looking for – in ministry organizations like FMSC, our church communities but more importantly in our individual lives and in our decisions – listening to Him when as He says in verse 16 of Matthew 14 – “But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.” He is telling them to have faith and act to feed the crowd.

Are you willing to trust Jesus that much?
 
Finally, Francis Chan asks this piercing question – “What are you doing right now that requires faith?” This one floored me maybe more than the other two. Jesus often points out the importance of faith. As believers we cannot be passive when it comes to faith – faith leads to fruit, faith is active. In Matthew 13:53-58 we see Jesus return to His birthplace Nazareth. In verse 58 Jesus says “And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.” We see in the feeding miracles, before the actual multiplication miracle, Jesus is healing many, casting out demons. An amazing number of miracles. What was the difference? Seems to me it was faith. In Nazareth, the level of faith was low – a lot of unbelief. With the crowds, these people believed or at least held out some hope in Jesus and who He might be.
 
Faith. Faith in Christ. If I am not living in a way that requires me to have a deep faith in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, maybe I am missing out on bearing the kind of fruit God has prepared for me to produce. (Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”)
 
Definitely something to dig deeper into. How do I live an active faith in all that I do?
 
Anything strike you in any of this?
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that we remember to see all others as God’s image bearers, to trust you Lord Jesus and then use the faith this requires to help produce Your fruit in the world we live in today knowing we have an eternal future with You! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,

Patrick

Good morning!

As I read God's Word, I find myself hearing the Lord as if He is speaking to me. Sometimes these are convicting moments for me, sometimes related to lingering sin and the need to change. And I praise Him for such clarity!

The need for me to step away from prideful living and return to the kind of humility Jesus demonstrated for us (Philippians 2:1-8), is resurfaced by God. And the last few days God pointed it out again. This is so appropriate as God asks us daily to draw near to the Cross, God’s Cross, His solution for bringing us home  (Matthew 16:24).

We need to be humble when we approach the Cross – because we know what Jesus Christ suffered – so that God could, through the power of the Resurrection, allow us to approach Him.
 
This conviction this week has caused me to re-engage God’s Word and look again at what humility looks like from a Jesus perspective (Philippians 2:1-8) – so I love in those moments to turn to the image of Jesus kneeling before each of His apostles to wash their feet – as I imagine this in my mind, I see the love and humility of Christ pouring out into the room, humility on display as we should be humble…read and reflect:

John 13:3-17 - 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” 9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” 10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean. 12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.(P) 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” 

Notice the rebuke Peter receives from Jesus in verse 8. Peter is being prideful, thinking he knows what's best. But Jesus responds that we need to receive in humility, to learn the lesson He is teaching, and to learn to give in humble service motivated by our love for Him.

I need to love and serve others humbly and I need to humbly receive as others serve me...including my family, my neighbors those I clash with at times and even my enemies. It is just that simple – I need to live it out in all my relationships.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend you is that we find you speaking to us of how we can live to glorify you through humble, peace and love filled living that looks like you Lord Jesus – a beautiful in expression of perfect love embodied by Your Cross! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

​Planning - even in retirement, I feel the need to look ahead and plan. I am OCD when it comes to having routines - I feel less likely to forget things. One of the times of day I love my routine or have a set plan for is right after i wake up in the morning.

I normally use my time in the morning to reflect, to pray, hopefully to get aligned with Christ. Sometimes, even in the early morning, things happen to take me out of that routine. Sometimes my best laid plans for starting my day are derailed, my perfect routine is fully disrupted. 

Has or does this ever happened to you?

This can be very unsettling. You can look at these “plan / routine interruptions” in a couple of ways. One is to let this kind of unexpected set of events frustrate us, throwing of our whole day – ending up being misaligned with Christ.

Or we can take look to these pieces of scripture below. God shares with us through these pieces of scripture that however our day starts or how it unfolds, whatever we are doing, to do it with our whole heart for God, for Jesus Christ. That sometimes our plans are not God’s plan – that he will establish our steps.

Colossians 3:23-24, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
 
Proverbs 16:9, “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”

It is an opportunity to put Him first. To use the situation as prayer, worship and proper reflection on why we are here doing this work. Because we have been called by Jesus Christ to serve, in love.
 
It is an opportunity to trust God and be obedient to God in what is unfolding and happening in that moment which is unexpected and unsettling.
 
These situations should not be a big deal. Before retirement, they happen for me somewhat often. But when I would think about those I was serving because of the disruption of my routine, about who at that time needed access or something else to do their job, it was really important that I do my work with my whole heart, for our Lord, Jesus Christ and for whoever I was serving. To accept the steps God has established for that moment and that day.

The same is true in retirement - God's purposes and plans supersede my routines, desires for order, my OCD. And that means surrendering my desires for a certain way of doing and planning things to Him, and following the path He has for me. 
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer going into the weekend is that we treat each situation that has the potential to frustrate us as an opportunity to pray, to be obedient, to align with our Savior, Jesus Christ, committing our whole heart to a positive and love filled approach forward, shining His light! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick
​

Good morning!

It seems easy - at least for me - to forget to be grateful for both the blessings and the challenges through which God has shaped my life.

It seems right then, that we align our perspective to one of gratitude. To praise loudly our God for our salvation through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Gratitude, it seems to me, is partly a celebration of the Light we are given as believers. So here are some thoughts about finding and celebrating with gratitude being in the Light of Christ:
 
Light…
 
Have you ever been in a place so dark, that you could not see anything at all? Where you could only hear your breathing and noises around you? Or you could touch surfaces but not see them?
 
Has your life ever been this dark? How did this make you feel?
 
I have been in that dark place where no light was shining – my fear was palatable, it paralyzed my life, it lead to bad decisions, selfish behavior, self-loathing. In those times, I couldn’t believe God loved me or that he created me – in His image - or that he gifted me and had a purpose for me and my life while in this world.
 
And then there came a moment in my life when the Light started leaking in – not because of my effort to seek His Light – but because He loves me and He called me. And then suddenly one day, I felt the full Light of Christ shine into my life, leaving me praising God for all He has done and filling me with gratitude for each moment, each day, each relationship (with each of you and all others) and thankful for the work He calls me to do.
 
Are you seeing the Light of Christ in your daily life?
 
Scripture has a significant number of references to light – not all relate to light and darkness as I am presenting here. However, there is an overwhelming number that point to the fact that being a believer and follower of Christ places us in His Light and removes us from darkness:
 
John 1:3-10 “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.”
John 3:18-20 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed.”
John 8:12 ‘When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”’
2 Samuel 22:29 “You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light”
Psalm 4:6 ‘Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us.’
Psalm 13:3-4 ‘Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.”’
Psalm 18:28 “You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.”
Psalm 19:8 “The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
Psalm 27 “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Matthew 6:22-23 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (See also Luke 11:33-36)
Luke 8:16-17 “No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.”
 
If you get a chance, go back and read the entire book of Acts. It is full of stories of the Light of the World pushing back the darkness. Acts is the story of how the Good News of the gospel, how the Light spread throughout the world and eventually reaching us today.
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we enter this weekend is that when we look up, we see Your Light  in those around us. And that we shine Your Light back to others as we live centered in You, Lord Jesus Christ! That in Your Perfect Light, we have gratitude even in these difficult times we live in. Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

Awe. Reverence. As I walk through this season of transition from my career to retirement and avocation activities, I think these words are worth considering.
 
Do you think at times you might forget how awesome God is? How awesome it was (and is) that God sent His Son Jesus Christ to become man to be the perfect sacrifice in order that we could come home to Him?
 
When you go for a walk on a beautiful fall day, do you see the awesomeness of God’s creation – even a broken creation? Does that feeling of awe move you to reverence for God?
 
Is your reverence strong enough for you to surrender your life of this world and to say yes to Jesus Christ and His call into your life to live for Him and not for things of this world?
 
I think that often it is easy for me to make God small and to make His Son just a man, not fully God. If I ever find myself thinking this, I benefit from revisiting scripture to remind myself of who our God is, what Christ did for me, to step back and kneel down in prayer, to remember how He has moved and is moving in my life…
 
Scripture is overflowing with references to the awe of God, the awesomeness of God and the need to approach God with reverence. Awe and reverence, are a part of the definition of fear as it applies to “fear” God.
 
Here is a sampling of God’s word that touches on these two words:
 
Awe –

• Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
• Acts 2:43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.
• Matthew 9:7-8 Then the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to man.
• Habakkuk 3:2 Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.
• Psalm 66:3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you.”
• Psalm 65:8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns, where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.
• Psalm 19 - Starts in verse one - "he heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above[a] proclaims his handiwork".- Go read this Psalm - the author clearly speaks to how God's creation shows His glory, His awesomeness worthy of all our reverence...

 
Reverence –

• Hebrews 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,
• 2 Corinthians 6:18-7:1 18 And, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.
• Psalm 130:3-4 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
• Ephesians 5:19-21 … Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

 
The number of references is large so I will stop here – explore more on your own. I think you will find that it brings you closer to God. A couple of questions for you to consider.
 
When, where do you find yourself feeling awe and reverence for God? What in your life triggers this kind of engagement with our Creator?
 
I am often awed by the beauty of sunrises and sunsets – God’s word in Genesis tell us He created the rising and setting of the sun – here are two of the many astounding images Gd has provided me an opportunity to capture of this beauty He created:

Lord Jesus, as we enter this weekend, my prayer for each of us is that we never make God small and that we ever treasure the feeling of awe before God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and in feeling that awe, we live our relationship with our Savior in reverence for what He has done for us. Amen!

Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick
​

Good morning!

Back in 2021, two different individuals had brought up Psalm 91 and the importance of this part of God’s Word for them in this current time and place.

For one person I heard from, this Psalm, this part of God’s Word, became the catalyst of his salvation in Christ – an amazing story of redemption that I can relate deeply to.

The other individual used this Psalm to point out, during a devotional she gave, a way of seeing many of God’s promises (see some highlighted below).
 
Whether you find the Hope of salvation in Christ by reading this Psalm or you have had the scales fall off your eyes and now see so many of God’s promises to us, I ask that you take a few moments and slowly read through Psalm 91:
 
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
 
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
 
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
 
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
 
How does this Psalm speak to you. Do you hear God’s voice? Do you feel the hope of salvation in Christ as you read this Psalm? 
 
Psalm 91 was likely written by either Moses or David. This week, I watched a YouTube video by NT Wright, a British theologian, on the topic of prayer. In either case - Moses or David - this Psalm represents prayer, time spent with God.

When we stop to take time to pray to God, to speak with our Creator, according to NT Wright, it isn't shouting to God who is in a far off place - up in the sky somewhere. But rather when we pause to pray, we stand in a moment in time and space that has our place on earth touching heaven (God's dwelling place).

It is a dangerous, vulnerable place because we are in the presence of God (the Holy Spirit in us makes this possible) - but also beautiful. God has asked us to draw near to Him - that in our doing so He draws near to us (See James 4:8). We get the opportunity to speak with Him and through His Word, we hear from Him.
 
My prayer for each of us this weekend is that our ears hear God’s voice as we seek him in His Word and in that hearing we believe, we proclaim and we understand the depth of His love for us as He has shown and continues to show us through our Lord Jesus! Amen!

Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick
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Good morning!

Do you ever consider the importance of your relationships? Even day to day interactions with people you know or even with strangers? Think about how you might interact with others on social media? 

In our current cultural moment relationships are being broken and challenged with many people leading with anger, name calling and irrational, unfounded ascribing of motivations.

While we (yes we - me included) fall into the ways of the world, God calls us (at least for those that believe in His work through His Son, Jesus) to take a different approach than the world. He calls us first to love Him with everything we have got...and then asks us to pour this love out to our neighbors - to those we encounter in our daily living. 

Matthew 22:36-40 - 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

And repeated in Mark (we also see this called out in Luke as well) - 
Mark 12:29-31 - 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

And what anchors relationships - could it be how we treat each other? Even when we disagree or we do not see from the same perspective? See Paul's comment to the Ephesians:

Ephesians 4:32 - "Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you."

And Jesus reminds us that our neighbor is pretty much anyone we might run into as we live our daily life.

Relationships are so important especially in our walk with Jesus, our Savior, in doing God’s work. There are times when relationships become challenging (maybe not for you… but definitely this is so for me). So really these pieces of scripture speak to one of the ways the gospel speaks to nurturing relationships – through kindness and a soft heart, giving and asking for forgiveness as needed. 

For each of us to live our life out with family, friends, neighbors, strangers or to do our work, we need to spend time on the relationships in our lives – in all moments. With those we know and with those we do not know but who cross our paths. Each one of these connections is an opportunity to share the light of our Savior. 

Can you think of any instances recently where you were Christ showed up in your interactions – with someone you know – or someone you had just met? How did you see God at work? How did it touch you? How do you think it touched the other person?

Surrendering to God, praying to Him to use us, I believe, leads to us being able to bring the right heart into our relationships and interactions with others – to be kind, tenderhearted and forgiving.

Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is that  we do not miss the opportunities God creates in relationships, in connections and in our path’s crossing with others, to shine Your Light such that hearts can be healed, that restoration can begin…! Amen!

Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick

Good morning!

Has an event, experience or just a span of time left you feeling a more distant relationship with God?

Where, although you know you love God and Jesus Christ as your Savior, it seems like there is some barrier separating you from Him?
 
I know I have. When this happens I am uncomfortable, uneasy, tense, anxious. Work or any activity seems to be more of a struggle and relaxation isn’t relaxing.

We see here in these verses, God in His Word shares His desire to be with us always. He is waiting for us. He, in fact, is seeking us, pursuing us. 

Revelation 3:20 - “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”
James 4:8a - “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Luke 15:4-6 - "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost."
Luke 19:10 - "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
 
The barrier is likely us. If we are not praying every day, waking up every day looking forward to a day in Christ, being with Him, distance from God will likely increase.
 
So let’s embrace His promise to us – listen for His voice, His knock at the door and then open the door, open our hearts to Him. Spend time every day in reflection and prayer. In doing so, you are narrowing the gap, overcoming the barrier and drawing nearer to God. His promise is that he will then come near to you. How awesome is that!
 
Lord Jesus, my prayer for each of us as we go into this weekend is that as God is seeking and pursuing us, that we stop running from Him. That we turn to You, Lord Jesus and open the door of our hearts and fully surrender to You! Amen!
 
Have a weekend filled with the Peace that comes from knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
 
Patrick