Notes of Faith March 14, 2025

Notes of Faith March 14, 2025

Never-Ending Grace

But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:20-21

Those who have stood in the face of the mighty Niagara Falls have been in awe of the sheer volume of water that flows over it. Yet Niagara is only the seventh largest waterfall in the world by volume of flow. Right now, as you read these words, water is pouring over the world’s mightiest waterfalls—seemingly without end.

The never-ending water over waterfalls, like the constant light from the sun, pales in comparison to the never-ending supply of the grace of God. Just as we stand in the light of the sun on a summer day, so we stand in the grace of God. That means our life is the gift of God, as is our salvation by faith. We stand forgiven and justified because of the grace of God. And that grace is never-ending.

Grace is not something we work for or earn. Rather, it is the gift of God that surrounds us and empowers us every moment of our life. Thank God today for His grace that allows you to stand before Him.

Measure your growth in grace by your sensitiveness to sin.

Oswald Chambers

1 Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,

Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!

Yonder on Calvary's mount out-poured–

There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Refrain:

Grace, grace, God's grace,

Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God's grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin!

2 Sin and despair, like the sea-waves cold,

Threaten the soul with infinite loss;

Grace that is greater– yes, grace untold–

Points to the Refuge, the mighty Cross. [Refrain]

3 Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,

Freely bestowed on all who believe!

All who are longing to see His face,

Will you this moment His grace receive? [Refrain]

I am so glad that Jesus is my Savior! I need His infinite grace. Though I try not to sin, I am more like the Apostle Paul in Romans 7.

15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate, I do… For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Were it not for the mercy and grace of God through the work of Jesus Christ we would all suffer condemnation and judgment in eternal hell, but we who believe in Jesus will be resurrected to a life of glory and eternal joy with God forever!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 13, 2025

Notes of Faith March 13, 2025

Victory Through Surrender

So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace.

Judges 6:24

It’s hard to watch the images of war, captured by photojournalists, broadcast daily on the news. George Washington said, “My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.” Sadly, it has yet to be banished.

There is one war, however, that we can win by surrendering—the rebellion of the human heart against God. Prior to our salvation, we were enemies of God. But when we realize He is just and good—a God of righteousness and yet of mercy—and when we surrender our lives to Him, we’re filled with a peace that transcends understanding. We have peace with God.

The Lord Himself is our peace. If you are fighting against God and His marvelous grace, surrender to Him today. The Bible says, “Since then it is by faith that we are justified, let us grasp the fact that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have confidently entered into this new relationship of grace, and here we take our stand” (Romans 5:1, PHILLIPS). The Lord is peace!

It is a paradox. I can’t explain it, but…you are never so much your own self as when you are most His.

E. Stanley Jones

Proverbs 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

Spiritually surrendering is not giving up…in fact, it may take more discipline, energy and strength than physical surrender. To be under not only the influence but control of God through the Holy Spirit, is a difficult endeavor. He is always there to guide, direct, yes even control, if we will yield to His will for our lives. He will only offer us that which is righteous and perfect. On the other hand, not everything that we choose to do in our own will is righteous and perfect. We are indeed made in the image of God, made to reflect His character that others might come to Him and yield to His grace and authority in their lives. May we pray for greater yielding in our own hearts and minds and for many lives to be transformed by the renewing of their minds as God gives grace to believe in Jesus!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 12, 2025

Notes of Faith March 12, 2025

Out on a Ledge

Should you not have obeyed the words which the Lord proclaimed through the former prophets when Jerusalem and the cities around it were inhabited and prosperous, and the South and the Lowland were inhabited?

Zechariah 7:7

Last October a national park ranger at the Grand Canyon saw a group of girls maneuvering over a sign that said, “DO NOT ENTER.” The girls crept onto a dangerous ledge to practice their yoga postures as the sun went down. The exasperated ranger felt the same sort of concern the Lord feels when we maneuver over His warnings, rules, and commands.

Recommended Reading:

In the book of Zechariah, some of the remnant who returned to Babylon asked Zechariah if they needed to continue to fast for the restoration of Jerusalem. Zechariah told them it was better to obey than to fast. He told them God expected them to show mercy and compassion to their brothers.

It’s one thing to study the Bible and another to obey what it says. It’s not a religious routine that pleases God but heartfelt obedience. Is there an area in your life akin to maneuvering around one of God’s warning signs?

Obedience to the revealed will of God is often just as much a step of faith as claiming a promise from God.

Jerry Bridges

Zechariah 7:7-12

7Are not these the words which Yahweh called out by the hand of the former prophets, when Jerusalem was inhabited and at ease along with its cities around it, and the [†]Negev and the [†]Shephelah were inhabited?’”

8Then the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah saying, 9“Thus has Yahweh of hosts said, ‘Judge with true justice and show lovingkindness and compassion each to his brother; 10and do not oppress the widow or the [†]orphan, the sojourner or the afflicted; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.’ 11But they refused to give heed and [†]turned a stubborn shoulder and [†]dulled their ears from hearing. 12And they made their hearts [†]diamond-hard [†]so that they could not hear the law and the words which Yahweh of hosts had sent by His Spirit by the hand of the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from Yahweh of hosts

It is not easy to be in the Word of God daily. It takes diligence, purpose and good habit building. Once you have that characteristic, it is necessary to obey what you read. That is the hard part. We often skip over things as if they do not apply to us when those are the very things we need to work on to become more like Christ. In your morning prayer today ask God if there is anything that you have ignored in His Word that you need to listen to starting today!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 11, 2025

Notes of Faith March 11, 2025

Surrounded, Alone

Then the woman... came trembling and fell at His feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched Him and how she had been instantly healed. Then He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you.” — Luke 8:47–48

The more everyone chatted happily about Christmas plans, the lonelier I became.

Overwhelmed with working as a teacher and caring for my husband, I had no idea how to survive until Christmas. Holiday activities I enjoyed before my husband’s spinal stroke, like decorating and baking, were now luxuries of time, and I didn’t know how to shoehorn them into my schedule.

How is it that sometimes we can be lonelier in a group than when we’re actually alone?

That question reminded me of the woman in Luke 8 who had suffered from bleeding for twelve years. Considered unclean, cultural norms of the day dictated that she live apart from her family and friends. During that time, she was lonely until she braved the crowd because she believed Jesus could heal her. I imagine she felt more alone than ever amid the people. Yet she pushed her way through the crowd until she could touch Jesus’ robe. Miraculously, she was healed. Healed, she was able to return to her people — no longer alone.

What’s more, Jesus noticed her in the crowd and sought her out.

Often, we hear this story and think of her faith and physical healing, but today I am left thinking about her loneliness. After years of being invisible, she would forever know that she was visible to Jesus. She reached out to Him from the loneliness of the crowd, and He assured her that she was not alone.

When our circumstances lead us to feel like outsiders — invisible and alone — He offers us that same certainty. Therefore, we can reach out from our lonely place and know that He sees us.

What’s more,

He is with us in every season (Matthew 28:20), ensuring we’re never alone.

Heavenly Father, thank You that You are always there for me. No matter how far removed I feel from those around me, You’ve shown through Your Word that You notice every one of us. Thank You that when I reach out to You, You leave me less lonely. Remind me of these truths when the lonely feelings in a crowd press in. Amen.

~ Rebecca Petersen

When we feel lonely in a crowd, Jesus notices us.

He is with us in every season (Matthew 28:20), ensuring we’re never alone.

Finding Belonging in Loneliness

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day... What is unseen is eternal.— 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Smacking her lips with a satisfied “ahhh,” my momma pulled the Styrofoam cup of cold cranberry juice, her “pretty juice” as she calls it, from her lips. She offered it to me with a childlike smile that is common as she is now in mid-stage dementia. This current journey with her is complicated by the longings I’ve experienced throughout our entire relationship — namely to be known and accepted by her.

I find it ironic that a disease known to rob memories has opened a door for us to connect. As she navigates through days of simple joys while struggling to remember who I am, I have the choice to join her in the moment or begrudge the relationship we didn’t have.

As the lonely little girl wanting to be loved by a woman who wasn’t capable, I have often wrestled with this in my heart. When this battle wages inside me, I remind myself I’m not alone because God has faithfully provided other women with whom I can share life. And most importantly, I have a parent, my Father God, who tugs on my heart to say,

You received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, ‘Abba, Father’. — Romans 8:15 NLT

I have found true belonging knowing that God has adopted and provided for me as His own child. Even as my momma’s mind fails her, her childlike heart and actions are those of a girl longing to be held by our adoptive Father. It’s a bittersweet peace God is providing in this journey we didn’t ask to travel. I’m learning to be present and enjoy my momma just as she is, knowing I have authentic, loving, and supporting friends as “sisters” who understand my loss — and a Father who knows, accepts, and loves me.

Lord, thank You for showing me that You love us as Your own children, chosen and seen. As I walk this lonely path of a difficult relationship with my loved one, remind me to see her heart as You do. I am grateful for the women You have provided in my life. Thank You for the gift of Your Son, Jesus, who is God with us. In His name, amen.

~ Kimberly Leonard

God provides for me in my loneliness.

Excerpted with permission from Praying Through Loneliness compiled by Kristen Strong, copyright Kristen Strong.

Jesus suffered loneliness worse than any of us ever will… He was rejected and despised, hated and killed. During His suffering on the cross He cried out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” You and I can feel alone, suffering in this life without a spouse, hurt by friends, family, coworkers, but we will never experience being forsaken by God!

Heb 13:5-6

"I will never leave you nor forsake you." 6 So we may boldly say:

"The Lord is my helper;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?"

We can feel lonely but we will never be alone! Praise God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 10, 2025

Notes of Faith March 10, 2025

Rescue the Perishing

The Lord Jesus Christ…gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age.

Galatians 1:3-4, NIV

Dalton Grose of Waterville, Minnesota, was sitting in his boat one day when he saw a truck fly into the lake and sink in the water. Grose jumped into the lake, reached the vehicle, positioned his legs against the side of the truck, and, with adrenaline-fueled strength, managed to open the door and pull out the elderly driver. The two sank to the bottom of the lake, but Grose pushed off and managed to get the man’s face above the water and swim with him to the dock where another bystander helped pull both men to safety. Grose was awarded the Carnegie Medal for heroism because he risked his life to save another.

Jesus came to seek and save the lost. He jumped into this world to pull us to safety. He rescued us, and He also commissioned us to help with the effort.

We may not see a vehicle sink into a lake, but every day we’re surrounded by sinking sinners. Let’s be aware of it. Let’s do our part to rescue the perishing.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying. Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave.

Fanny Crosby

2 Cor 2:14-17

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? 17 For we are not like many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.

2 Tim 2:2-3

2 The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Paul speaking to Timothy said, “make disciples, who will in turn be able to make disciples, who will continue to make disciples…

This is our mandate from God after being saved. Are you answering the call to be involved in the lives of those around you, to bring them to Christ and help them to take what they have been given and give it to others?

Let’s be more passionate and caring, diligent and vigilant concerning the eternity of all people that God places in our lives. May we be used and blessed as we serve almighty God, our Lord and Savior!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 9, 2025

Notes of Faith March 9, 2025

The Sinful Woman & The Woman Caught in Adultery

The Sinful Woman

A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. As she stood behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them. —

Luke 7:37–38

Heartbrokenness.

It’s the only word to describe this woman’s attitude as she approached Jesus. We might wonder what her background was. How did she hear about Jesus? How did she know to come to Him for the wholeness she sought? What had she done in her life that branded her as a sinner in the eyes of those surrounding Jesus?

We don’t have the answers to these questions. But we do see something so touching, so beautiful, from our Savior in this moment. This story shows us that our pasts are irrelevant. The love of Jesus finds us wherever we are, even when we’ve made mistakes.

Maybe you have some dark mistakes in your past. If so, you’re not alone. People with dark pasts have been coming to Jesus for millennia.

He doesn’t reject those seeking to turn their lives around.

Maybe that message is for you to receive today. Maybe you need to be reminded of the deep forgiveness and love Jesus offers to each of us. But this message is also for all of us as we grow in Christlikeness, seeking to echo Jesus’ actions in our own lives. Our Savior modeled gentleness and compassion to a broken woman who believed. Let’s follow His lead!

Jesus declared this woman’s sins forgiven (Luke 7:47). How can you walk in confidence today, knowing your sins, too, are forgiven?

Jesus doesn’t reject those seeking to turn their lives around.

The Woman Caught in Adultery

But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. — John 8:6–9

This is such a beautiful picture of the heart of Jesus. He knew what was in the minds of the Pharisees. He knew they were seeking to trap Him and not at all concerned about this woman or her relationship with God (John 8:6). His heart was to redeem this woman — to save her and not condemn her. Amazing, wild, wonderful grace.

Maybe you have a hard time receiving that grace for yourself. Maybe you feel dark and twisty and irredeemable inside, and you can’t imagine Jesus standing in the gap for you, protecting you from your accusers. Or maybe you have a hard time showing this kind of grace to others. Maybe it seems like the world is decaying around you and you’re the only one who is getting it right.

If either of those is the case for you right now, you’re not alone! But let’s take a close look at our Savior’s example here. He treated this woman caught in adultery with dignity, kindness, and respect, even though she had done wrong. Then he followed up with important truths, spoken in love. That’s how He approaches us, and that’s how He wants us to approach others who need His message of repentance and redemption.

Let’s take a moment to fully grab onto the idea that Jesus’ grace is for us and for all those around us, even if they’re struggling.

Do you ever struggle with grace, whether accepting it for yourself or extending it to others? Which of these is harder for you?

Excerpted with permission from 60 Devotions Inspired by Women of the Bible, copyright Zondervan.

I don’t think anyone one earth can fully understand the amazing grace of God! But we must come to Jesus as the Father draws us, repent of our sin, receive forgiveness and eternal life by His grace through the faith He gives us to believe in Him. The next step is for us to care about those around us, especially the worst of the bunch…they All need Jesus and His work of salvation! Let us pray to show more mercy and grace to others just as we have received from our almighty and glorious God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 8, 2025

Notes of Faith March 8, 2025

Three Days Later, He Rose Again from the Dead

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel. — 2 Timothy 2:8

How do you know Christianity is really true?

This is the inevitable question asked by anyone who is willing to think deeply about the world, its origins, and its meaning. Christianity states that God made the universe, created life on earth, made humans in His image, and gave them a moral law to be their guide. We are then given the details, through the gospel, of how God reached us in Christ. All of this raises the question of how we can know it’s really true.

The simple answer to this question is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. As the great Anglican missiologist Lesslie Newbigin said, “The gospel is public truth.” This is because the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth happened in history — it was an actual event.

The crucifixion of Jesus is not contested by an overwhelming majority of historians. What is questioned is what happened three days later.

The Gospels state that Jesus’ tomb was found empty by a group of His women followers and that He appeared to His disciples after this. Paul writes that Jesus appeared to Peter, then to the twelve disciples, and then to more than 500 witnesses — at the same time (see 1 Corinthians 15:3–6).

Was this just a hallucination on the part of all those witnesses? Psychologists say no. Hallucinations don’t happen like this to groups of people — hundreds of people do not have the exact same dream on the same night. So this could not have been a “mass hallucination.” Furthermore, Christianity started in Jerusalem three days after Jesus’ death — the very place where it would have been easiest to disprove.

If Jesus’ dead body could have been produced, Christianity would have been no more than a minor footnote of history today.

At least five of the twelve original disciples of Christ would go on to die a martyr’s death rather than deny that Jesus was raised from the dead. Many people are willing to die for what they believe to be true, but no one dies for what they know to be false. Why were they so willing to face martyrdom? Because they were there. They saw Jesus with their own eyes, touched Him with their hands, and ate with Him for forty days after He was raised.

This event shook the world back then — and it still does today. Jesus’ resurrection means so many things for us in the twenty-first century. Fundamentally, it means that Jesus is who He said He was: the Son of God, the Messiah.

We have a real Savior. We can trust that His words are true.

In a world where charges of “fake news” are incessant, we can know that the good news about Jesus is true. This gives us confidence in the Scriptures as being the very words of God. The Bible is not just a collection of commands from God to us but a collection of promises from God to us as well. These promises give us a real hope in a world of fear and uncertainty.

The resurrection of Jesus gives us confidence that our sins are forgiven and the gift of salvation is real. Many leaders throughout history have made grand promises to their followers that only gave them false hope, but we can know that our faith and hope in Jesus are well placed because of His resurrection from the dead. The fact that Jesus triumphed over death means that the power of sin and death have been broken. As Paul states,

Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. — Romans 8:2

We can live free of the power of darkness because of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Again, the resurrection demonstrates that Christianity is indeed true.

The gospel of Christ was foretold by prophets, most notably Isaiah (c. 600 BC). In Isaiah 53, he gives us a startling portrait of the suffering Messiah — not the political/military hero that was hoped for by the Jewish people. Before Isaiah, there was King David — the one called “a man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). The prophets foretold that one of David’s descendants would sit upon his throne and reign as the future Messiah (see Jeremiah 23:5–6). The apostle Peter would cite King David in the first great message after the resurrection of Christ:

Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. — Acts 2:29–32

The resurrection was what united believers to take the message of Christ to the ends of the earth. When Christianity started, there was no New Testament. The first-century believers turned their world upside down with the confidence that Jesus was raised from the dead and offered salvation to the world. Recapturing this confidence can unite believers in Christ today to finish the task that He sent us to do. Overall, because Christ has been raised from the dead, we can have a true and abiding hope. We can know with certainty there is life after death — that this life is not all there is.

The fear of death has consumed the great thinkers of history. The idea of physical death being the end of existence is suffocating, to say the least. It leads to a nihilistic mindset of living a life of pleasure and self-gratification. However, when we realize that there is a life beyond this one and that our actions and words will one day be judged, it gives real meaning and purpose to this life. What we do here on this earth with the one life we have been given actually matters.

As my dear friend Dr. Gary Habermas, a historian who is considered one of the world’s leading authorities on the resurrection of Jesus, says, “The gospel requires three things: the deity of Christ, His death, and His resurrection.” May God’s Spirit guide you into a lifetime of joy and adventure as you dedicate yourself to helping as many as possible hear and understand its truth and meaning.

The gospel is the good news that God became man in Jesus Christ. He lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died... in our place. Three days later He rose from the dead, proving He is the Son of God and offering the gift of salvation and forgiveness of sins to everyone who repents and believes in Him.

Excerpted with permission from The Purple Basics: Understanding the Message of the Gospel in the New Testament by Rice Broocks, copyright Dr. Rice Broocks.

For the last three days I have been surrounded by 5,000 men from all over the world at a conference of pastors, elders, and other aspiring men who’s desire is to know and serve God greater than ever before. It was truly inspiring. This conference has been a special time for me each year, for almost 30 years. Truth is inspirational! Shared truth is like a wildfire. It continues to be fed by the Spirit from one to another. May we take the truth of the gospel as God commanded…to the ends of the earth. We will meet again when we can no longer share this truth, on the other side of the Jordan… Yet shall we live for all eternity!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 7, 2025

Notes of Faith March 7, 2025

Back on the Right Path

And [the son] arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.

Luke 15:20

When hiking on a trail in the woods or a wilderness area, you may gradually realize that you are lost. At such a time there is only one thing to do: turn around and go back to the last place you were sure of. It is better to go back to the starting point and make a new, better path.

That is what the young man did in Jesus’ parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32). The son left the security of his father’s home to create his own life—an adventure that ended in disaster. Destitute and broken, he came to his senses and realized he was on the wrong path. So he returned home and found his father waiting to receive him. There was no judgment or criticism, only compassion and love. Jesus told this parable to illustrate God’s readiness to forgive.

If we ever find ourselves off of God’s path, our only solution is to return to Him. He waits for every child of His to return to His open arms of love.

Forgiveness is to be set loose from sins.

G. Campbell Morgan

The fallen man sins every day. We must return to our heavenly Father in repentance asking forgiveness, knowing that in Christ we have been forgiven for all sin. He is compassionate and loving, knows our every weakness and gives us strength to begin anew. Start each day with praise to God, confess your sin, seek His will for the day, and strive to be holy like God is holy. We will fail and fall often, but we have been made in His likeness to be like Him, therefore our heart’s pursuit should to be holy and without sin. That day is coming when God takes us to be with Himself. No more suffering because of sin! Please Lord, make it soon!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 6, 2025

Notes of Faith March 6, 2025

The Double Transaction

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.

Romans 5:1-2

Dr. J. I. Packer wrote a book, God’s Words, about key biblical terms, one of which was justification. As a noun, this word occurs three times in the New Testament. As a verb, it’s found 39 times, mostly in the writings of Paul. “It is his way of formulating the essential Gospel message,” Packer wrote, “that through Christ’s death guilty sinners, once justly under wrath, come into a new relationship with God as His beloved children, under grace.”

When we’re justified, God takes our sins and places them on Christ, and then He takes the righteousness of Christ and places it on us. It’s a double transaction. Our sins are imputed to Christ, and His sinlessness is imputed to us. That doesn’t mean we are presently incapable of sinning. Instead, it means when God looks at us, He sees us wrapped in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

Knowing this word makes us want to live up to our position and bring every habit under our Lord’s control. Where do you need to start?

Through one act of righteousness—the life and death of the sinless Christ—the free gift came unto all.

J. I. Packer

Once one comes to believing faith in the person and work of Jesus, how could we not want to be like Him! We are called to be Holy as God is holy. Therefore, we cannot continue to live in sin with no regard to our previous position, destined for judgment and hell. No! We must strive with all of our strength in heart and mind, depending on the Holy Spirit within us to keep us from sin. Yes, I know that we will all sin because of the nature that still works within us, but we must seek to be holy because of the One who has saved and justified us! I can only think that a person who does not, who lives continually in sin, believing that he is saved and does not need to seek righteousness and holiness, that this person does not really understand what God has done for them and is very likely not saved. Let us glorify God in pursuing His glory and holiness, to be like Jesus in righteousness and truth, that others might come to true believing faith by seeing the work of Christ in us!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith March 5, 2025

Notes of Faith March 5, 2025

Forty Days and Forty Nights

Mark 1:9–13

It was hot and quiet and still in the desert. Jesus was thirsty. He closed His eyes and thought about the day before, when His friend, John, had plunged Him under the cold, clear waters of the River Jordan. How glorious it had felt to be baptized!

Jesus remembered seeing the clouds part above His head, as if the gates of Heaven had opened to let God speak nine wonderful words that Jesus would never, ever forget:

You are My Son. I am pleased with You.

Jesus opened His eyes and smiled. He knew who He was. He was God’s own Son. And God was pleased with Him.

Jesus stayed in the desert for forty long days and forty long nights.

Nothing to eat. Nothing to drink. Listening to God. Trying to think.

Under the blazing hot sun by day and the light of the silver moon by night, Jesus talked to God.

What do you want Me to do?

And whenever He heard a voice that tempted Him to think about Himself, Jesus closed His eyes and thought about God instead.

When the forty days were over, Jesus knew what God wanted Him to do. He stood up, wrapped His cloak around Himself, and set out for the synagogue in Nazareth, leaving a trail of footprints behind Him in the sand.

Prayer

Dear God, during these next forty days, help us find time to listen to You. Help us to think about what You want us to do.

Excerpted with permission from 'Twas the Season of Lent by Glenys Nellist, illustrated by Elena Selivanova, copyright Glenys Nellist.

There is more to the forty days in the wilderness that Jesus experienced than this writer offered. No doubt there was an intimacy between Jesus, His Father in heaven and the Holy Spirit, but there also were many temptations from Satan. We are tempted every day in much better surroundings and circumstances than our Lord’s experience. Doe we even pray to begin the day or during the day to give thanks, to confess sin, to seek God’s will, to ask on behalf of others God’s abundant mercy and grace? How close are we walking with the Lord? Life is difficult with many tribulations and testings. Therefore, it behooves us to begin each day in prayer and to continue the conversation during the day. May we make our lives more like Jesus in constant prayer and communion with our Father in heaven.

Pastor Dale