Updates from the Pastor
Notes of Faith May 24, 2024
P.S. I forgot to tell you that the Zoom meeting for Bill Lawson’s memorial service only allows 40 minute. Just re-click to join the meeting again. You may have to wait for the host at the church to do the same thing, but you should be able to see the entire service if you re-join the meeting. Sorry for this inconvenience.
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith May 24, 2024
Tomorrow, Saturday May 25 is the memorial service for William “Bill” Lawson, at Community Grace Brethren Church, 5885 Downey Ave. Long Beach, CA., beginning at 11:45 pacific time. We will have a graveside service at 9:45 (not live streamed) at the Westminster Memorial Park, 14801 Beach Blvd, in Westminster, CA. If you cannot attend but would like to view the service live, please watch on your computer or phone on either of the options below…
https://www.facebook.com/cgbclb
Click on the live picture to view full screen
Click the link below to join the zoom meeting
Zoom:
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/77612737885?pwd=lZ4zyZb2plUb9GWbYq0hYbflhciqdv.1
Today’s devotion is on heaven.
Putting On Hope
Hope is a golden cord connecting you to Heaven. This cord helps you hold your head up high, even when multiple trials are buffeting you. I never leave your side, and I never let go of your hand.
But without the cord of hope, your head may slump and your feet may shuffle as you journey uphill with Me. Hope lifts your perspective from your weary feet to the glorious view you can see from the high road. You are reminded that the road we’re traveling together is ultimately a highway to Heaven. When you consider this radiant destination, the roughness or smoothness of the road ahead becomes much less significant. I am training you to hold in your heart a dual focus: My continual Presence and the hope of Heaven.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. — Romans 12:12
But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. — 1 Thessalonians 5:8
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain. — Hebrews 6:18-19
I designed you to commune with Me face to Face
Grow strong in the Light of My Presence. As My Face shines upon you, you receive nutrients that enhance your growth in grace. I designed you to commune with Me face to Face, and this interaction strengthens your soul. Such communion provides a tiny glimpse of what awaits you in Heaven, where all barriers between you and My Glory will be removed.
This meditative time with Me blesses you doubly: You experience My Presence here and now, and you are refreshed by the hope of Heaven, where you will know Me in ecstatic Joy.
Many are asking, “Who can show us any good?” Let the light of your face shine upon us, O Lord. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. — Psalm 4:6-8
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. — Revelation 21:23
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new Heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. — 2 Peter 3:13
Excerpted from Jesus Calling by Sarah Young, copyright Sarah Young.
There is within the heart of a believer in and follower of Jesus that gives them an eternal perspective. It is the promise of God to be with Him forever basking in His glory and wonder. The new heaven and earth He creates will be more beautiful and awesome than we could ever imagine. There will be no sorrow, pain, suffering, or death. We will have glorified bodies as the risen Christ, no longer captive to the law of sin and death. May you live today with the sure hope of heaven, expecting God to fulfill His promise of bringing you into His eternal home prepared for you.
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith May 23, 2024
Believe Differently
The systems that leave you stagnant and ashamed are rendered powerless only when a stronger, more powerful belief is introduced. That new belief introduces an opportunity for a healthier, more powerful system to emerge. Failure to take advantage of that opportunity occurs because our new belief must compete with our old system.
God loves me whether I am in a relationship or not. God loves me whether I am successful professionally or not. God loves me whether other people like me or not. These statements are opportunities to believe differently, but until our choices reflect what we believe, we will not experience change.
The belief that I am loved, valued, and worthy of maximizing my life is not one that I grasped with ease. It is a truth that required me to see beyond what I think about my messy insides and to dare to believe that where I see mess, God sees material. Romans 8:28 says,
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
It’s a powerful scripture that has so much meat, but the word that stands out the most to me is know. Too many times we quote this scripture, replacing the word know with think, wish, or hope. There’s something to be said about being in relationship with God long enough that you move from the space of uncertainty about how things work together to a place of knowing.
I have learned that when God causes all things to work together, it’s because God is so holy that even the messes I make along the way in the pursuit of His purpose cannot contaminate His holiness. That’s not just my truth either. It’s yours too. When I fall into the trap of inadequacy because of my negative belief system, I have to remind myself that
God did not run out of grace when I messed up.
When I trust that I am loved beyond measure, it breaks me out of the system that cripples me. There is a power waiting to be released in you that is rooted in the knowledge that you are inescapably loved, valued, seen, and adored.
If you are able to grasp this as truth, it will grant you the courage to change your mind about who you think you have to be in order to be palatable. Even more powerful is that it will change what you believe is possible. You will have to learn to confront the ugly strongholds of your systems with the knowledge that God’s not finished with the masterpiece of you.
I want you to start defining the parts of your systems that make you who you are. This will require some introspection, so I’ll guide you through it. I want you to consider a most recent outcome, whether it was the outcome you desired or one that left you feeling disappointed. Then ask yourself what attributes you possess that directly contributed to the way things play out.
This is when it gets easy to begin listing negative qualities. Try not to focus exclusively on the ingredients that are frustrating, like ignoring red flags. There are some parts of your system that you should be proud of too. Besides, this is about building you up, not beating you up. Here are just a few to help get you started:
Initiative
Focus
Pursuing perfectionism
Determination
Doubt
Stubbornness
Fear of isolation
Discipline
Anxiousness
In what sequence did these things come to the surface? If you take the time to look at the stages you go through when meeting new people or starting a new project, you’ll begin to see some of the mechanics of your system that have played a role in your being successful, stuck, or somewhere in between. What belief fueled positive outcomes? Which ones wore you down? Taking the time to identify the ingredient that sabotages your outcome is how we begin to petition God for a new way of believing. I’m adding my faith to yours with this quick prayer:
God, please help my reader to believe what You believe and to rebuke what has not come from You.
Until you decide that you do not deserve the debilitating results that your system constantly produces, you cannot break out of your system. And you can’t break out of your system if you don’t acknowledge where you keep getting stuck. Advocates for criminal justice reform are engaged in the work of dismantling a legal framework that has negatively affected the future of individuals because they believe those individuals deserve better results than what the system provides.
Those who’ve dedicated their lives to serving individuals in the legal system understand that each case that is revisited sets a new precedent, and with a new precedent, power moves away from endless oppression to a reason for optimism.
Every time you make a choice opposite of what your negative systems dictate, you are serving notice to them that they no longer have power.
If you want to know whether your system is healthy, you’ve got to look at the outcome you consistently produce. Even if the outcome is not what you desire, it can help you to better understand what system may be at play in your life.
I want to broaden your perspective on what you need at this stage of your life. You don’t just need a different outcome. You need new convictions. A system that is rooted in love, compassion, worthiness, and the pursuit of heaven touching Earth through you. I’ll be honest and let you know that heaven doesn’t touch Earth through anyone who hasn’t first faced off with hell.
The worst thing you can do when you’ve gone through hell and back is to repeat the same cycles and habits that bought the ticket to struggle in the first place. There is an authority that comes with surviving that must be enacted so that you no longer live trapped.
The old system doesn’t relent because you wake up one day and say the season is over. No, you get a revelation and when that revelation becomes consistent with your declaration and presentation, you will experience transformation. It’s beyond being viewed differently because you put on a power suit so that others can treat you with esteem.
Real transformation is when what’s taken place on the inside of you becomes so evident that the external must adjust.
The negative thought process that has left you feeling like a shell of who you think you have the potential to become is operating as designed. It’s the same old system that started in the garden. It’s the same lies I’ve had to face and likely the ones that have run rampant in your family.
The template for that system was formed in darkness and seared as an imprint on humanity the moment Adam ate from the tree, but it cannot have your future. It cannot have your community. It cannot have your children. The system has to end with you.
Since the system is functioning as designed, that means you have to get out of line. You must be willing to break free from the system that is trying to break you. If you don’t break free from the system, you will never experience the power that is available to you. I know firsthand how difficult it is to break free. I also know the joy that awaits on the other side of freedom.
Soon you will understand that the system wanted you to believe it was more powerful than you could ever be. The system is wrong.
Excerpted from Power Moves by Sarah Jakes Roberts, copyright Sarah Jakes Roberts.
The “system” that holds power over you is sin, your human nature, acquired through the first disobedience of God by mankind through Adam and Eve. God provided freedom through the power of His Son Jesus and the indwelling of His Spirit given to those who believe in Him and His sacrifice for their debt of sin. The power of God is the only overcomer against sin. You can have it through faith and relationship with God the Father, through believing in His Son, and the Holy Spirit to guide and direct each day to defeat the power of the “system”! May you earnestly seek and find Jesus and be set free from the power that holds you captive.
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith May 22, 2024
Running on Sand
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. — 1 Corinthians 9:25 NIV
Ask any runner — the beach offers challenging terrain.
Some run barefoot while others wear shoes, but those who appear to stride effortlessly have been at it a while. They have had to train and build up strength to make it look so easy.
Running on a softer surface requires better balance and more energy from the muscles involved. There are plenty of risks too, such as sprains, strains, and puncture wounds. So why do it?
The payoff is worth it! These runners improve their strength, they experience less impact on their joints, and they burn more calories per mile. Training on a beach can literally put more spring in their step when they run on a hard surface like asphalt.
At times, running the race God sets for each of us seems more difficult than living a mediocre, milquetoast life.
But if the races of faith were easy, everyone would be running them.
As Paul explained, our race centers around one goal — a life that’s pleasing to God, achieved by “strict training” — and one prize — “A crown that will last forever.”
Challenging terrain aside, aren’t God’s pleasure and an everlasting reward worth everything?
Father God, help me to persevere when I’m weary and to keep my eyes on the end result.
Excerpted from Devotions from the Beach, copyright Thomas Nelson.
I grew up in West Torrance, CA., and used to run cross country and track in high school. Unbelievable, I know, looking at me now, but it is true. We ran from the school to the beach, one mile, then from the Torrance beach to the El Segundo pier and back, somewhere between thirteen and fifteen miles total. If we did well running on the soft sand, the coach let us run back on the harder surface near the water, and even let us go in the water, if we desired. Unfortunately, I was not a top contender and found myself running on the soft sand the entire way. But having done the work, I was usually in the top seven of our competitive races… and the coach was pleased! I am still trying to run the race of life, but to please my heavenly Father, my Savior, my Comforter, my Coach. He lovingly leads, guides, and directs my heart, my mind, my decisions and actions that I might be pleasing in His sight and receive a reward beyond all earthly treasures. Run well with me. Keep running, and trust your heavenly Coach, who loves you and sacrificially gave His best for your sake!
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith May 21, 2024
Armor Up!
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. — Ephesians 6:11 ESV
Woman sitting in a beach chair
Scuba diving is a popular beach excursion, and every diver wears the appropriate equipment in order to survive while exploring underwater worlds. The mask protects your eyes and clarifies your view. The scuba regulator transfers air from the scuba tank to your mouth. The fins or flippers help you swim and navigate efficiently, and the wet suit warms and protects your skin. Each piece of equipment helps ensure a successful visit to under-the-sea wonders.
Don’t take the Gospel into the world without the armor of God.
Similarly, each part of the armor Paul described in Ephesians 6:14-17 is necessary to help us successfully complete God’s mission in our lives.
God has made us the ambassadors of His redemption story — a bold move, as we are often weak on our own. Our personal inadequacy alerts us to armor up, so we put on the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. This precious covering, these spiritual tools, aid us in deflecting the darts of the enemy so we can bring forth God’s plans and kingdom.
This armor doesn’t weigh us down; it enables us to thrive in our mission to minister the kingdom of light. Like scuba divers jumping into watery depths, we use the proper gear so we can thwart evil “schemes” and reveal God’s plan of redemption. Just as you would never travel underwater without scuba equipment, don’t take the Gospel into the world without the armor of God.
Father, give me the tools I need to be an effective part of Your good plan for creation, prepared to outplay the evil one.
Excerpted from Devotions from the Beach, copyright Thomas Nelson.
The Cushion of the Sea
Be still, and know that I am God.
Psalm 46:10
A number of years ago, a submarine being tested had to be submerged for several hours. Upon returning to harbor, the captain was asked, “How did that terrible storm last night affect you?” Surprised, the captain exclaimed, “Storm? We didn’t even know there was one!” Their submarine had been so far beneath the surface that it had reached what sailors refer to as “the cushion of the sea”—a depth in the ocean where the waters below are never stirred despite any commotion on the surface.1
In our fast-paced world, it is a challenge to slow down and remember that God is in control. We are a society of “do-everything,” “go-everywhere,” “get-it-done” people who mistakenly believe we can handle everything if we just keep going. In reality, we need to become so submerged in God’s peace that no matter what’s happening in our life, we are able to remain as calm as “the cushion of the sea.”
If you feel overwhelmed, bogged down, or burnt out, add one more activity to your daily schedule: Spend time with Almighty God. It is the only way to reach the depth needed to find true calm in the midst of any storm.
In the name of Jesus Christ, who was never in a hurry, we pray, O God, that You will slow us down, for we know that we try to live too fast.
Peter Marshall
The more intimate our relationship with God, the more prepared we are for any circumstance this life, world, the devil, or anything else that comes our way. Speak often with God. Read His Word daily and again, hear Him speak to you. Allow His Spirit within you to lead, guide and direct your thoughts and actions. You will be at peace in all things, no matter what is going on.
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith May 20, 2024
Secret Hero
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Romans 8:26
We try so hard to be self-sufficient. Although we delight in helping others out of our strength, it takes a giant swallow of our pride to accept help. We avoid feelings of brokenness and dependence. We would rather struggle for months on end before admitting we need help. This tendency stunts our growth because it rejects the help and power God has provided.
Although unseen, the Holy Spirit is the invisible hero dwelling within us. God knows our weakness and provides the Holy Spirit to guide, strengthen, and sustain us. The Spirit comes to our rescue time and time again. We are loved, and our weakness is never mocked. When God calls us, we can rest assured that the Holy Spirit will equip us through His insight and power. The evidence is clear in both the life of Christ and the lives of His followers.
The first thing that accounts for God’s using D. L. Moody so mightily was that he was a fully surrendered man. Every ounce of that two-hundred-and-eighty-pound body of his belonged to God; everything he was and everything he had, belonged wholly to God.
R. A. Torrey
I love reading about men like D. L. Moody, A. W. Tozer, and many others. Yes, I like to read. But men like these gave their lives for the sake of Christ in more modern days as the apostle Paul did in the first generation of the church. May we be more like those that live a life devoted to God and proclaiming truth and love toward all that was created in His image through the power of His Spirit within us.
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith May 19, 2024
The Feast of Pentecost (Shavuot) We celebrate this today!
Amazing prophecies of God’s plans for the world can be found embedded in the customs of the feasts of Israel. The intricate detail of the prophecies illustrated in the observances of these feasts provide insight into God’s plan for the ages. Sunday, May 19th is Pentecost, also known as The Feast of The Weeks in English and Shavuot in Hebrew. On Passover, the people of Israel were finally released from slavery in Egypt; and on Shavuot they were given instructions on how to live post-slavery life well in the Torah. With this love letter from God, His people became a nation committed to serving the Lord. The word Shavuot means weeks because the festival of Shavuot is the end of the seven-weeks between Passover and Shavuot. Enjoy this excerpt of Unlocking The Secrets Of The Feasts!
Explicit parallels and contrasts are evident between the Feast of Pentecost in the New Testament and the Feast of Weeks in the Old Testament. The Feast of Weeks is the same feast the disciples observed in the New Testament, known as the Feast of Pentecost. At the first Feast of Weeks, God provided the law. God had given the children of Israel freedom from bondage and slavery, so He then gave them the law to guide them in living.
As slaves they were told what to do by their masters, but in freedom they needed guidance from their new Master, the Lord God of Heaven. It should be noted that God gave them freedom, salvation from slavery, before He gave them the law.
Keeping the law was not a condition for receiving their freedom; it was a response to God’s grace in setting them free.
At the first Feast of Pentecost in the New Testament, God provided His Holy Spirit for guidance. The Feast of Weeks/Pentecost celebrates God’s provisions for life. This feast is observed during the time of the wheat harvest, a major provision of the Lord. In Leviticus 23:15-16 God told the Jews:
You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete Sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord.
A new grain offering was to be offered in the Feast of Weeks:
You shall bring in from your dwelling places two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two-tenths of an ephah; they shall be of a fine flour, baked with leaven as firstfruits to the Lord.
Leaven is now introduced to the bread in place of the unleavened bread of the former feasts. But why?
Checking with the messianic rabbis, I discovered a logical answer to this question. While the Passover is referring to God and the purging of sin, the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost refers to God’s people who receive the law and the Spirit. We still have sin in our lives until we receive our new glorified bodies at the Rapture. We read in 1 Corinthians 10:17:
Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.
The two loaves mentioned in Leviticus 23:17 picture the Jew and the Gentile, but we are now one body, “one loaf.” There are a number of other offerings and sacrifices that are presented at the temple at this time as well, and they are applicable to several things, from sins to thanksgivings.
Counting of the Omer
According to Leviticus 23:15-16, the Jews were commanded to start counting fifty days from the day of the Feasts of Firstfruits to the next feast, the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost. During the forty-nine days of this count, which they call “the counting of the omer,” the wheat crop is in the ripening process. By the end of the omer count, the crop is ready for harvest, and the firstfruits of the wheat crop can be brought to the temple for Pentecost on the fiftieth day. Shavuot, the Hebrew name for this festival, means “seven weeks.” This concludes the festival season, which began at Passover. Just as Firstfruits celebrate the ripening of the barley crop, Shavuot celebrates the ripening of the wheat crop.
The law brought death, but the Spirit brings life!
The Remembrances
The feasts all have a historical significance.
The Feast of Passover is a remembrance of the slaying of the Passover Lamb.
The first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is a remembrance of the exodus from Egypt. The Feast of Weeks is a remembrance of the giving of the law at Mount Sinai. The seventh day after Passover, according to tradition, reminds the Jews of the crossing of the Red Sea. The counting of the omer is regarded as a remembrance of the intervening days between the exodus from Egypt and the revelation at Sinai. That is why the Feast of Weeks became known as the anniversary of God’s appearance at Mount Sinai.
On the first Feast of Weeks, signs and wonders accompanied the giving of the law. We read in Exodus 20:18:
All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.
Thomas Lancaster, pastor of Beth Immanuel Sabbath Fellowship in Wisconsin, maintains that the Midrash also makes mention of what took place at the Feast of Weeks when the children of Israel heard the voice of God giving the law from Mt. Sinai. He says that according to the Midrash, a collection of Jewish oral traditions of the things that happened in history, the people in the camp saw sound waves in the form of fiery substances. Each commandment, as it left God’s mouth, circled the whole camp and eventually rested on each Jew personally. He also noted from the Midrash that the people heard God’s voice in many different languages.
Exodus 19:16 states:
So it came about on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunder and lightning flashes and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet sound, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
The parallels are quite fascinating when we read Acts 2:2-6:
And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language.
We cannot prove that everything recorded in the Midrash happened, but we can assume that all the people who were in the room in Acts 2 were familiar with the events. They could immediately make the connection between the Feast of Weeks and their present experience on the day of Pentecost as being of God.
Filling of the Spirit
The concept of the filling of the Spirit has always evoked different opinions regarding its meaning. One thing I observed about filling was that in the Greek there are two different words for the process. In Ephesians 5:18 the word for filling is pleroo, which conveys the idea of growth to maturity or being molded by the Word of God. If we compare Ephesians 5:18 to Colossians 3:16, which discusses the same subject, we can see that “be filled with the Spirit” is the same as “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” Since this command in Ephesians 5:18 is in the present tense, this indicates a continual experience or process. Both phrases have the same result: praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.
On the other hand, pimplemi in Acts 2:4 is in the aorist tense, which indicates a single event or happening. In context, the word implies an empowering for a work of service.
Today, since the Spirit indwells us as believers, we can be empowered by the Holy Spirit in our respective ministries. So the Holy Spirit is doing two major things for us: empowering and maturing us.
It is also interesting to note that when Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19:
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
he used the Greek word naos, which means “the innermost holy place of the Temple where God dwelt.” The other word for temple, hieron, means “the entire temple.” By Paul’s use of the word naos, he wants believers to understand that their bodies are truly the intimate dwelling places of the Holy Spirit.
Further Observations
I was also intrigued by one important contrast between the Old Testament Feast of Weeks and the New Testament Feast of Pentecost. In Exodus 32:28, we find that three thousand men died on the day the law was given, but in Acts 2:41 we read that three thousand people were saved on the day the Holy Spirit was given.
The law brought death, while the Spirit brought life!
It is interesting that the entire Godhead was involved in the fulfilling of the spring feasts. The Son honored and fulfilled the Feast of Passover by His death. The Father honored and fulfilled the Feast of Firstfruits by raising up Christ from death and the grave. The Holy Spirit honored and fulfilled the Feast of Weeks/Pentecost by His descent fifty days after the resurrection of Christ. Now we, in response to the fulfilling work of the total Godhead, can truly serve the Lord in all power and truth!
Excerpted from Unlocking the Secrets of the Feasts by Michael Norten, copyright Thomas Nelson.
The Bible is the Word of God. He speaks to us in it and through it to hear as He reveals Himself to us and shows us how to live. No one can keep the perfect law of God but all can receive the grace of God through Jesus, believing in His death, burial, and resurrection, paying the price for our disobedience and failure to keep God’s law, redeeming us from the penalty of eternal judgment and condemnation, and finally, taking us to live with Him, giving us new bodies, hearts, and minds, to inherit the glory of heaven, and be with God forever! Let us celebrate today the coming of the Holy Spirit to dwell in those who believe in Jesus!
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith May 18, 2024
Trusting God with Everything
‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’ — Jeremiah 29:11
It doesn’t take long to realize there is no checkbox formula for life. If only it were that easy! We are all complex. Our situations and experiences are unique. The challenges we face often seem overwhelming.
There is good news, though. When we listen carefully and lean in to God, we will hear His whisper. That is what Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would do
(John 14:16–17; 26).
For me, I keep coming back to the thought that…
If you can’t trust God with everything, you can’t trust Him with anything.
Our faith is not a pastime, an opinion, a vending machine. It is not our politics. Our faith is not a philosophy, a way of looking at the world, or even how we try to explain it. It is much more personal than this. Our faith is life itself, and it is through the activation of our faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ that we have gained access to the everlasting grace (unmerited favor) of God. This has brought us into an eternal and loving personal relationship with God that was previously impossible.
This was made possible by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead. In this relationship, we are forgiven; our identity is secured; our purpose is established; our fears and anxieties are overwhelmed by His power and peace; His inexhaustible love bears our sorrow and sustains us. That is the experience I can testify to.
On so many occasions, I have come back to God’s promise in Jeremiah 29:11. At the end of the day, we have to decide whether we believe this is true, or not. If we believe it, we can claim the future and hope that God has promised us. And if we believe, then we are called to act on that faith, to believe in miracles, to love, to forgive, to repent, to surrender, to obey, to serve, to worship, and to follow.
The life of such faith is not easy, but take heart, because God understands that we struggle with this journey.
Jesus demonstrated this to us in the gracious way that He dealt with His disciples. He loved them. He chose them. He knew their flaws and weaknesses, but He also knew their heart for Him and their faith. He knew they would fail. He even assured them they would, telling Peter he would deny Him three times. He was patient with them. He built them up, restored them when they were down, and admonished and consoled them when He needed to. He understood their humanity, just like He understands ours.
God understands that we struggle with this journey.
In my public life, I have often felt like an alien in the place where I believed God has called me to serve. I think this alien experience is increasingly how many Christians feel about living in our Western society today.
Our world increasingly acts as if it has outgrown God. We have become wise in our own eyes. We pretend to have knowledge and insight that, somehow, we think has eluded the eternal God. Arrogance and pride have taken the place of humility and reverence before God. The eternal and immutable standards of God are now being substituted for what we believe is right in our own eyes (Judges 21:25). The truth is now as we each seek to define it. How convenient for us.
In such a world Christians will increasingly face trials, discrimination, mocking, and persecution, as Jesus said we would (John 16:33). In such a world we are right to feel like aliens if we are truly holding to our faith. How much more important, then, that we hold to our faith in these times?
About a year after an election loss ended my tenure as Australia’s prime minister, a friend gave me a painting of Daniel praying in the lions’ den. He told me that this is what he thought it must have felt like when I was PM. He was right. As Christians in a society that is increasingly hostile to our faith, the lesson of Daniel is a good one to follow. Rather than react as the world reacts, Daniel trusted in God’s eternal plan. He stood and served where God had placed him, as an alien. The good news is that God’s got this. Daniel understood this. God’s purposes are greater than those we currently see impacting our society.
The message and instruction from our God has not changed. We are to wait on the Lord and live out our faith in His love. God has already won the victory. As it says in Scripture, we are to love God with all our heart, our soul, and our minds, and we are to love one another (Matthew 22:37–40). That is our calling.
Whatever our times or our experiences, we will see the goodness of God’s plans in our lives if we choose to seek Him, if we choose to trust Him, and if we choose to love and follow Him. When we do this, we can look back on the many stones that have been laid down across our lives, signifying His great blessing and faithfulness, and rejoice. These stones do not just remind us to give thanks. These stones lead us onward, confirming God’s plans for our good and that the best is always yet to come.
Dear God, thank you for the promise that You are faithful to provide us with a hope and a future, that Your plans are for our good, and that we can trust You in both the triumphs and trials we face. Amen.
Written for Devotionals Daily by Scott Morrison, author of Plans for Your Good.
Great is Thy Faithfulness!
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith May 17, 2024
Tell God Everything
I cry out to the Lord with my voice; with my voice to the Lord I make my supplication.
Psalm 142:1
When reading the New Testament, we sometimes wonder: “Was the apostle Paul thinking of such-and-such Old Testament event when he wrote those words?” That could be the case when we see an example (Old Testament) and exhortation (New Testament) to pour out our concerns to God.
Phil 4:6-7
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
When David was anointed king, King Saul tried to kill David to block his ascension to the throne. On one occasion, David hid in “the cave of Adullam” (1 Samuel 22:1) to escape the murderous Saul. In Psalm 142, we have a record of David’s prayer to God while he was hiding from Saul. And what a prayer! Surely it is an example of what Paul wrote about in Philippians 4:6-7—don’t be anxious, but through prayers and supplications let your concerns be made known to God. And just as David was guarded in a “stronghold” while he prayed (1 Samuel 22:4), so the believer is guarded by the peace of God as we commit our concerns to Him (Philippians 4:7).
Don’t be afraid to tell God your deepest needs and concerns. By example and exhortation, the Bible encourages that very thing.
Anxiety and prayer are more opposed to each other than fire and water.
J. A. Bengel
Prov 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will direct your paths
Pastor Dale
Notes of Faith May 16, 2024
Walking With God
Enoch walked with God.
Genesis 5:24
What does it mean to walk with God? There’s a clue in Hebrews 11:5: “By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, ‘and was not found, because God had taken him’; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”
To walk with God is to please God, and we please God by trusting Him with our troubles. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
As we worship this powerful God we know, we should be encouraged in our walk with Him. We should come to know God better—His omnipotence, His holiness, His ever-present nature, His faithfulness and truthfulness, His justice and love. By coming to know Him better, we trust Him more. By trusting Him more, we please Him. By pleasing Him, we walk with Him as Enoch did.
Is there a burden you need to entrust into God’s care? Do it now, trust Him fully, and enjoy walking with Him through the ups and downs of life.
Day by day, morning by morning, begin your walk with Him in the calm trust that God is at work in everything.
Anne Ortlund
Day by day, and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father’s wise bestowment,
I’ve no cause for worry or for fear.
He, whose heart is kind beyond all measure,
Gives unto each day what He deems best,
Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.
2
Every day the Lord Himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares He fain would bear and cheer me,
He whose name is Counsellor and Pow’r.
The protection of His child and treasure
Is a charge that on Himself He laid;
“As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,”
This the pledge to me He made.
3
Help me then, in every tribulation,
So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith’s sweet consolation,
Offered me within Thy holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till with Christ the Lord I stand.
"Blott en dag" by Oscar Ahnfelt "Day by Day (and with Each Passing Moment)" is a Christian hymn written in 1865 by Lina Sandell several years after she had witnessed the tragic drowning death of her father. It is a hymn of assurance used in American congregational singing. Sandell-Berg was a prolific Swedish hymn writer.
Pastor Dale
