"Other Loves"
 

Ezekiel 23:4 "Their names: Ohola the elder, and Oholibah her sister, they were mine, and they bore sons and daughters. As for their names: Samaria is a Ohola, and Jerusalem is Oholibah."

These names in verse 4 illustrate lsrael and Judah's propensity to look for security and political alliances with pagan nations, a sin that deeply repulsed the LORD. Ohola is used of Samaria, the capital of Israel, and means "my tent" Oholibah, signifies Jerusalem, the capital of Judah and means "my tent is in her", perhaps referring to God's own temple in Jerusalem. Perhaps this refers also to the weakness of tending to consort with whoever or whatever for gain or entertainment. Ezekiel portrays the northern and southern Kingdoms as two women, two sexually promiscuous sisters whose outrageously lewd behavior offended even their pagan neighbors. Seems to me that these stark images are becoming increasingly pertinent given our propensity for looking for security, meaning, purpose and satisfaction in political and pagan answers in lieu of the LORD.

As we try to "make the best" out of Halloween, maybe we should minimize our involvement in the lewdness of it or at least try to be a light in an otherwise shady if not dark event that has become the premier fall holiday. I am not suggesting boycotting, l am suggesting making a real effort to redeem the time. May we be witnesses in the midst of both paganism and politicization. Two stark realities that are on the rise. Please be safe and wise.

In Him,
Pastor Fred 

Life’s Proper Focus Read Luke 12:16-21, Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” This parable really helps us bring life into the right perspective. The rich man in this story failed to do three things.   He failed to realize that he was only a steward and not the owner of his goods. He failed to have an eternal perspective.. He failed to consider how brief this earthly life can be. How did he fail in these three areas? By not understanding just how short life is and where to place his focus. He talked about building barns but instead he had a burial. He said he had many years but God said “this night.” He thought he was wise, but God said he was a fool. Let’s learn from his mistakes and bring our life into proper focus.

Daily Devotional - By Faith Peay
 

     I was reading a little book by one of my favorite authors, Francis Frangipane.  He has probably deceased since the writing of his book, “The Days of His Presence.”  But his words still ring so true to me.  I was feeling so overwhelmed last week with all of the darkness surrounding us.  Floods, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, scandals, and shootings to name a few, were weighing on my mind.  And then I read this little excerpt, The Dawn, where he talks about the day of the Lord, “like the dawning of any calendar day, does not burst forth abruptly.  It is not pitch black at 5:59 am and then, suddenly, bright morning the next minute.  The night sky gradually recedes, retreating from the approaching rays of light. Even before the sun breaks, the morning star faithfully heralds the coming dawn, announcing to the world still in darkness that light is at hand.”

     Rev. 22:16 “All the glory belongs to Jesus!  He Himself is the bright morning star” When will the glory rise?  Just as the morning star rises while it is still night, so the glory of God shall rise within us when “darkness will cover the earth, and a deep darkness the peoples. Isa. 60:2.  Even as you read these words, the glory of the age to come, “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27) already resides in your spirit.  Ours is an inheritance of glory, given to us by Jesus the night before He died.  He said, “And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity.” (John 17:22-23)

   The gift of God’s glory is the source and essence of true spiritual harmony.  Our unity is not the offspring of compromise; it is the consequence of Christ’s Presence.  It is His glory, which produces our unity, in turn causing the world to believe. (see John 17:21)  He is not only preparing us for His glory.  He is the One who has been invisibly, yet powerfully, bringing the church together.  He is preparing us for the harvest.  As a herald of the day of the Lord, the Morning Star of His Presence is, even now, rising in our hearts!” Amen

    Hope I didn’t ramble on too much, but I felt so lifted up and excited at the same time to know that the Lord is with us in the midst of all of the chaos.

Your friend in Christ,
Faith

Daily Devotional - "The Love of God"   I John 5:3 "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome." This verse took me in a different direction as l read it today. When l hear the phrase "the love of God", l almost immediately think of me as the recipient. In this verse, He is to be the recipient. This is about us loving Him. How? By being obedient. Specifically, by obeying His commandments. Those commandments are summed up in Mark 12:30-31 "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength... and your neighbor as yourself." Of course, that should not be burdensome. But, I let my guilt or attitude or something get in the way. Maybe that is why loving myself can become burdensome, hence making the love of others more difficult. So l love God who loves me, so l obey His commands so He can love others through me. This is doable because I do love Him, and me, and therefore others. In Him, Pastor Fred

"Your Work"
 

Habakkuk 3:2b "O LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years."

After Habakkuk writes many verses focused on questions and complaints, he turns his heart to prayer. I received in my heart today some insight about my prayers. I do my fair share of complaining and questioning, but l need to be more forthright about my petition. In trying not to be self-focused in my prayers, l can end up doing exactly that while trying too hard not to do that. So Habakkuk models here for me how to pray. Pray about His work, not mine, His church, not mine, His ministry not mine. After all, it is His, not mine. Everything is His, not mine. I can drop a lot of me and my and mine out of my prayers. I will feel less self-focused, be more accurate and actually be more Him-focused. So LORD, revive Your work in the midst of the years.

Praise Your Name,
Pastor Fred 

"Rights and Wrongs!"
 

Jonah 4:9 "Then God said to Jonah, 'ls it right for you to be angry about the plant?' And he said, 'lt is right for me to be angry, even to death!'"

l have always rather enjoyed Jonah's frustration, which may not sound kind, but it is because I can feel what he feels. In a funny way, l can hear myself answering God this way, without thinking it through.

Let me make a simple point only. When God asks Jonah about whether it is right for him to be angry, l think he is asking about right and wrong. Jonah answers like he "has a right" to be angry. Like he is exercising his entitlement, privilege or opinion. In essence, Jonah has a right to be wrong.

In his consternation, he cannot see it. I understand that very well. My right to be wrong does not make it right either. Yet, I can defend it to death. Blind pride can do that to me and you and Jonah.

Humbly,
Pastor Fred 

"God Said No"
 

I asked God to take away my habit. 
God said, No. 
It is not for me to take away, but for you to give it up. 

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. 
God said, No. 
His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary. 

I asked God to grant me patience. 
God said, No.
Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; 
It isn't granted, it is learned. 

I asked God to give me happiness. 
God said, No. 
I give you blessings; Happiness is up to you. 

I asked God to spare me pain. 
God said, No. 
Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me. 

I asked God to make my spirit grow. 
God said, No. 
You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful. 

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life. 
God said, No. 
I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things. 

I asked God to help me to love others, as much as He loves me. 
God said Ahhhh, finally you have the idea. 

Author Unkown
Devotion provided by Francine Spatafora 

"Learning By Looking"
 

Proverbs 25:32 "When I saw, I reflected upon it, I looked, and received instruction."

Oh, how true. I definitely learn from seeing and reflecting. Sometimes I think I see, but after l reflect, l see something deeper or even different. Never jump to conclusions at first glance. Always look again and see afresh. Amazing what a second look can see.

This proverb refers to seeing the fields of a lazy man and the vineyards of a fool. They were weed infested with broken walls. But when looking deeper the instruction came to the writer. Too much sleep, laziness, and foolishness will lead to poverty. You can feel like you are victimized by your circumstances when in essence you created them. When we look deeper we can see more clearly from reflecting on what we are looking at... but look deeper, it is often our own reflection. I receive instruction for me and share it with others. His Word is a mirror. Look deeper, and see yourself. Look, a fool, a lazy man, look closer... it is me and you.

Reflecting,
Pastor Fred 

"Pay Attention"

 
Isaiah 48:18 "If only you had paid attention to My commandments. Then your well-being would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea."

A few reflections....

• We should learn from "if only" the first time.
• When we pay attention it is easier to be obedient.
• Rivers go with the flow, we would do well to remember that.
• The waves of the sea are perpetual, they obey the tides, the currents, the weather and the forces of nature.

We have so much to learn. Just about elementary and elemental things. And.. about how to learn easier ways. Be blessed today and pay attention.

For Him,
Pastor Fred
 

"One Body, Many Parts"

By Pastor Jerry Dykstra

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 
1 Corinthians 12:27   

The human body is amazing. Each part depends on the other parts. We have all experienced how something as simple as a toothache can affect other parts of the body. While every part has an important role to play, no part is independent. All parts must work together so that the body can function well as a whole.

So it is no surprise that Paul often describes the church as Christ's body. Followers of Jesus are interrelated with every other person in the body of Christ. Though each believer may be unique, each believer is also dependent on the rest. Like interrelated body parts, church members must work together in unity and oneness of purpose to help bring about the coming of God's kingdom.
Sometimes members of the church have a hard time becoming part of the body. By nature, we resist being dependent on others or having others depend on us.

But Paul states clearly that just as "the eye cannot say to the hand,? I don't need you!'" neither can anyone in the body of Christ say that to a fellow church member.
God has equipped each individual member with gifts and talents for the building up of the body. The church and its members are one in Christ.

As members of the church, we are called to serve Christ, each other, and the world around us.

Blessing to all,
Ron Hodge

"Stepping Out in Faith" by Craig Groeschel Daily Power: 365 Days of Fuel for Your Soul   Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. (Heb. 11:1) Bridges have always freaked me out a little. Just think about it. You’re driving thousands of feet above some very deep, dark, dangerous body of water. What if the steel cables broke? Or a concrete column suddenly crumbled? There you’d be, trapped under tons of water and rubble. Can you imagine what it would be like if our bridges were invisible? “Yeah, Craig, just keep driving until you get to the riverbank—it won’t look like there’s anything there, but you just can’t see it. So just keep driving, straight off the edge, and that bridge will support you until you get to the other side.” Is that a crossing you’d be willing to make? Of course, that’s often what it feels like to step out in faith and follow God. We can’t see where our second step is, we’re not sure where he’s leading us, and we don’t know how we’ll get there. We can trust him and be sure of our hope in him. But it still gets scary sometimes, like that weird kind of vertigo you get seeing how far the plunge is in your peripheral vision as you drive across a huge bridge. Overcome your fear of spiritual heights today and take the next step. Trust God to show you the way. Thank you, Lord, for the way you remain so faithful to me. Even when I’m afraid, you empower me to step forward in faith. I can take that next step today because you have gone before me. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isa. 30:21)

"No Other" 

Isaiah 45:22 "Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the Earth, for I am God, and there is no other."

Let me reflect phrase by phrase....

"Turn to Me"... We tend not to, even though we always should sooner and far more often.

"and be saved"... We should never forget the process of salvation... I was saved, I am being saved and I will be saved. I am a finished work in process and progress.

"all the ends of the earth" .... everybody, everywhere, for all time. No hiding from this truth.

"for I am God" ... He is that He is and all that He says that He is, and that is the end of that.

"and there is no other." .... period, exclamation point. One God, no others. HE is the only God who exists." 

Hope this little Bible verse analysis process encourages you to try it sometime. Phrase by phrase. Personal reflection.

In Him,
Pastor Fred 

 "Grumbling About Sinners" 

Luke 19:7 "When they saw it, they all began to grumble, saying, 'He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.'"

I think we all have certain types of sinners who especially cause us to grumble. Your least favorite sinner may not be mine. This passage in Luke is about Zaccheus. He was a tax collector. Not exactly a popular profession. On top of that, he was a rich tax collector. Uh oh, strike two. Plus, the Bible says he was small in stature. When you have two strikes, people often start looking for strike three. Anything will do.

We live in a culture that loves to pile on. But Jesus loved Zaccheus. Had lunch with Him. Shared salvation with him, changed his life. Zaccheus was transformed. Maybe it is easier to change a short, selfish tax collector than to change a short-sighted, self-righteous, judgemental grumbler. Lord, change our hearts today about who we categorize, minimize and want to chastise. Help us realize that everybody needs Jesus more than they need to hear us grumble about our opinions about sinners. After all, this grumbling process should probably start and end in a mirror.

Lord, may we be merciful with ourselves too.
Pastor Fred

"Steadfast Love" By: Jacqueline J. Overpeck

Lamentations 3:22-23*, NIV Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

When was the last time you thought about the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah? He’s the one who cried out that God’s mercy is new every morning even as destruction surrounded him.

The name Jeremiah is from Hebrew origin. It means “the Lord exalts.” Jeremiah is the author of the book of Lamentations. To lament is to express sadness with weeping. It is to mourn. The opposite is to celebrate---yet that’s precisely what Jeremiah does!

In the middle of his sorrow, He finds hope and comfort in his God. Jeremiah said, “Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him" (Lamentations 3:22-23*, NIV).

Babylon had plundered Jerusalem. Yet even as smoke was still rising from the ashes, Jeremiah understood these tremendous keys:

1. God’s compassion never fails.
2. His mercy is new every morning.
3. Great is God’s faithfulness.

How could anyone cry out, “Great is your faithfulness!” in the middle of loss? The answer is that Jeremiah knew God could turn tragedy into triumph. He had a revelation of God’s steadfast love. A love that is resolute despite surrounding circumstances.

Have a Blessed Day Grace Harbor Church Family,

Made In His Image  David L. Cunningham <><

"Seek Him"

Proverbs 9:35 "For he who finds Me finds life and finds favor from the Lord."

I think all of us want favor from the Lord. We want to be blessed. When we seek the Lord, we not only find life, we find His favor. The initiation point of a deepening relationship with Him requires us to seek Him. Matthew 6:33 says, "Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." Seek and you will find. Seek Him and you will find that His favor will follow. The life "in Him" is so favorable. It is real life. Life that satisfies and fulfills. Life with meaning and purpose. When we seek Him, we will desire His kingdom and His righteousness. When that happens, His blessing and favor will be easier to see. What are we waiting for? Earnestly seek Him. When you do, life is so much fuller and favorable.

Living for Him,
Pastor Fred 

"I Believe In Free Will"

Exodus 3:8 "If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign."

No doubt in my mind that humans have free will. I think I may have just proved it again with that simple statement. I can choose whether to doubt or not. The two signs of Moses were the stick turning into a snake and then turning back into a stick again, and his hand turning leprous and being restored again. Pretty miraculous. But in this verse are two phrases that substantiate the concept of free will. If they "will not believe you" infers they can choose not to believe. Later in the verse, they "may believe" certainly indicates they can still choose not to believe. People must choose to believe or reject God. Even with miracles. Our free will is strong. We must freely choose to surrender our wills to God. Or not. We have free will. We are free to choose. Choose today. I choose to surrender to God. I do believe both signs.

In His Word,
Pastor Fred

"The Road to Perfect and Complete" by Bayless Conley

I want us to focus our attention today on James 1:2-4, My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. What I want to look at today is how God seeks to bring us to maturity by building patience into our lives.  If there is one thing I have learned in my Christian walk, it is that God is not in as much of a hurry as I am! Now, what is patience? Patience is the long-lasting quality of your faith. If you let go of your patience, your faith falls to the floor. The end result God is looking for is that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. The word perfect here means mature. God is developing maturity in us by working on our patience. I have a dear friend who has a great church. They endeavored to build another building on their property and it ended up being a major undertaking. In fact, it turned out to be the most difficult thing he had ever done. I mean, it took a strip out of his hide. Eventually it got built, but you know what my friend says about it? He says, “You see that building?  I didn’t build that building. It built me.” Going through those trials, facing those difficulties, having his faith tested, having to trust God when it seemed like there was a lack of finances, having to hold onto God’s Word when he was a laughing stock with some people, all of that built character in him as he stood the test. I have a question for you: Has anything been building you lately? If so, rejoice, because God is working maturity in you!

"How to Treat Others"  

Luke 6:31 "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you."

I do not need to say much to convict all of us that we ought to read, study and know His Word better. Our Bibles can get pretty dusty pretty fast. Not only should you know where your Bible is, you should know what you read recently, such as in today or yesterday, not last week. There is a lot of misquoting of the Bible, probably spread around by ignorance or misquoted from misquotes or misapplied even unwittingly.

This verse is referred to as the golden rule. Although the words "golden rule" are not in the Bible, these words are. But if you say "Treat others like they treat you", that is different. Not in the Bible. Worst misquote is to say "Mistreat others before they mistreat you." Also, this verse has nothing to do with trick or treat.

So read the Bible. Learn what is in there and not. Check out "cleanliness is next to godliness". Some stuff we quote is close. But close is not accurate or necessarily true. Be careful not to quote the Bible to impress. After all "Treat others the same way you want them to treat you", are the words of Jesus. The Bible is not a club. It is a sword, but not for attacking each other. Just some food for thought. Please don't choke on it or spit it out. Chew it a little. Swallow it if you should.

In His Word,
Pastor Fred