"The Blessings Of Gifts"

James 1:17  " Every good gift and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father."

The best gifts are His grace and mercy. Cannot even imagine living without them. What Love! Considering how undeserving we are and our capacity for depravity. I am overwhelmed by His good and perfect gifts. I believe at our best we can reflect Him. In recent days and weeks l have been the recipient of kindness, generosity and love beyond measure. Thoughtful words, beautiful artwork by children and gifts both small and precious and large and leaving me speechless. I have been humbled, and am grateful and deeply touched. Makes me want to serve and to keep giving. Cannot outgive God, but Lord help me respond.

May He be glorified and His Kingdom advanced because people really can be wonderful and we serve an awesome God. Thank you Lord, first of all, for your kindness and generosity and then also for the blessings of your people.

In His Service with you,
Pastor Fred 

Daily Devotional "Launch Out In Faith" by Rick Warren
 

Then Joshua gave orders to the officers of the people... "Three days from now you will cross the Jordan River and take the land the Lord your God is giving you."
Joshua 1:10-11 NIV
 

There comes a point in life where you have to have to stop talking about and praying about a barrier in your life. You must step out in spite of your feelings, your fears, and your doubts.

Joshua and the Israelites had to take the plunge - literally. Once they crossed the Jordan River, they were going to begin a battle to take over the nations.

The Jordan River is not a very big river, except in flood season when it swells into a giant, rushing, torrential, and very dangerous river. The Israelites just happened to be right there during flood season.

They said, "How are we going to get across?" God said, "I'm going to do a miracle! But I want you to step in first. This is a test." So the spiritual leaders began to walk into the water, and God did a miracle. The waters receded, and the people crossed over.

What do you do when you know something is God's will, but you're scared to death to do it? You do it anyways! And once you start doing it, the faith will come. God doesn't do the miracle first. No. He wants you to step out in faith.

Face your fears. If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done: "Those who wait for perfect weather will never plant seeds." Ecclesiastes 11:4 NIV

Devotion provided by Colleen Jilio-Ryan

"Therefore..." 
 
Colossians 3:12-17 " Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another; if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

I come back to these verses today because l want to understand them better and be blessed by them more. This beautiful description of the character of Christian behavior is rich and deep and is a bottomless reservoir of thirst-quenching refreshment.  Drink with me as l try to plumb its depths.

Whenever a chapter or paragraph of verses begin with the word "Therefore", you must read the preceding verse or verses to find out what the "therefore" is "there for". Whenever l see a "therefore" l know the preceding verses are answering the question of why the author is saying what he is saying. The verse preceding our verses today in Colossians says... "Christ is all and in all"... meaning, He is everything and in each of us. Since that is true, we are the elect of God, holy and true,  because of what He has done for us and can and will do through us. We are elect, holy and true not of ourselves, but because of Him. That is why He can call us to this Christian character He demands, because He will accomplish it. He elects us and makes us holy and true. A great quote says that "God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called." Enough to consider today, more tomorrow.

In Him,
Pastor Fred 

Colossians 3: 12-17
"Therefore, as the elect of God holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another; if anyone has a complaint against another even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. But above all things put on love, which is the bond of perfection, and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord, and whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

The more I read this passage, the more l am digesting it. I am feeding on the truth herein. Today, a list for us of character traits. When l reformat scripture it is easier to receive it. I like lists. Check? Check. Ok... a checklist, even better. Here is a checklist of what Paul tells us to put on. Check it out!

□ tender mercies
□ kindness
□ humility 
□ meekness
□ longsuffering
□ forbearance
□ forgiveness
□ love
□ peace
□ thankfulness 
□ wisdom 
□ grace

All because we are the elect of God, holy and beloved and in the name of the Lord Jesus. Keep checking.  I know l am.

With hope in Him,
Pastor Fred 

Isaiah 26:12 "Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.
 
Everything emanates from the Lord. He is the initiator, the prime mover, the beginning and the end. He is supreme. He is the only Creator, Sustainer, and giver of life. The only true peace comes from Him. Peace is not easy to find nor maintain, but He is the Prince of Peace. Outside of Him, we do nothing redeemable. I pray that the Prince of Peace will establish His throne in your heart and that you will know that all you accomplish is by His power. Lord bring peace, establish it and accomplish it in our hearts, in your church, in this country and this world.
 
In His Peace,
Pastor Fred

"Kindness" 
 
Colossians 3:12-13 "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another, and forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."

Kindness is so powerful. All of the character traits listed here are compelling and impressive. We can make such an amazing positive impression with just simple kindness. Kindness is contagious. All of these character traits are infectious. It is the kindness of God that leads us to repentance.(Romans 2:4)

We really should look at each of these virtues individually. They are desperately needed. In this season of brashness and mean-spirited negativity, the character traits of believers can be an overwhelming witness. The following quote touched me today... "Kindness is the universal language of Christian character, it allows others to see the Holy Spirit in your life without words."

With Hope,
Pastor Fred

"Drawing Near"

James 4:8 "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."

When l wake up each day l am immediately aware that l am a created being. I am a living soul. I am a man in need of a Savior. When my eyes open and my thoughts begin to form l am immediately aware that l am not alone. God is with me and in me and of me and for me. I begin to consider who He is and what l am.

As l begin my day l think about how much God loves me, and how He has cared for me and blessed me. I think about what is real and true and important. I consider what is lovelly and true, good and precious. This is the process of drawing near to God. With this effort l sense His presence and His glory. I know He is near. I know He loves me and cares. When l pull in close to Him l feel Him closer to me. I know He is in me. We, He and l, will do this day together.

Thank you Lord for being so close. Help me draw near as often as l need to and especially at the beginning of each new day.

In His presence,
Pastor Fred 

"Deceiving Ourselves"

James 1:22 "Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

Self-deception is tricky business. Sometimes we know full well that is what we are doing, and at other times we can fool ourselves about fooling ourselves. So how do we know for sure? Note... our enemy will also try to trick us about tricking ourselves too. So caution, but don't get into triple guessing everything either. If you do,  inaction is most likely.

The key is sticking with His Word as our guide. Keep it simple. Hear the Word, know it comes from Him, then do The Word. This is not only food for thought, it is nourishment for action. I have heard more than l have done. That confession is a good starting point. We don't have to deceive ourselves about that. So if you hear something from Him, do so something of Him.

In Him,
Pastor Fred 

"The Rainbow"   By: Sergi Sosedkin

Genesis 9:8-17 “This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you … a covenant for all generations to come.”

The rainbow is one of the most beautiful meteorological phenomena we can enjoy. Reflected in airborne water droplets, the sun’s rays create an optical miracle.

As a child, seeing a rainbow after a rain shower made me feel happy. I was mostly excited about the fact that the weather was finally getting better and I could play outside. I still remember my surprise when after reading the Bible I discovered that the arc of the rainbow signifies much more than simply the end of a spell of bad weather.

The rainbow has to do with the everlasting covenant, or agreement, that God made with all of Noah’s descendants and every living creature on earth after the flood. “Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood.” That was God’s unconditional promise, and the rainbow is God’s beautiful and powerful sign of that promise.

In the Bible we find descriptions of various covenants. All of them foreshadow the ultimate and most important one called the new covenant. Just like the covenant with Noah, the new covenant is an unconditional divine promise. Our Lord Jesus instituted this covenant by his death on the cross. It is a saving covenant of God’s grace, sealing the forgiveness of our sins and God’s special relationship with us.

Prayer

Our Father, thank you for your new covenant! We trust in Jesus Christ alone for righteousness and the forgiveness of sins. Praise be to you! Amen.

"He Still Performs Miracles"

Have a Great Weekend Grace Harbor Family

David Cunningham  <><

"He and Him" 

Colossians 1:15-18 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, Who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence."

He is Jesus, the Son of the Living God, my Savior. If you have any questions about who He is, the creation, the church, time, purpose, power or meaning...keep reading this. His Word is true, powerful, revealing and transforming. So rich, so deep. May you believe and receive everything He has for you today.

In Him,
Pastor Fred 

"What We Often Don't Know"

Acts 3:2

"Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going in the temple courts."

I consider myself a relatively objective person who is not very judgmental and has a fair sense of compassion.  I am known for helping others and for giving to the poor and needy.  Yet, I must confess that I still, more often than I would like to admit, sometimes totally misread people and misidentify their life situations.

When we see someone in need, never conclude why or how.  We do not know.  I have thought people were inebriated when they had other maladies.  I have thought people were "on drugs" when they "needed meds".  I have thought people wouldn't work when they couldn't work.  I have thought people to be mentally ill when they were only emotionally distraught…etc….

We should believe that someone is lame from birth because they are.  We should not conclude that if someone is carried somewhere to beg, it is because they are working for someone else.  We should not assume that a lame person begs at the "Beautiful Gate" just for effect.  We don't know their story.  We only know what we see. 

We should always pray before we conclude anything about anybody.  I try to remember, “There but by the grace of God go I."  I always try to assume the best.  We all need to be very careful what we think or assume about anybody, anytime.  Remember, we often do not know as much as we think we know.  I am working on this more and more. Join me.

In His Service with you,
Pastor Fred

"Effective and Productive Qualities"

1 Peter 1:8 "For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I must admit that I am often more knowledgeable about spiritual matters than I am effective or productive about them. I wish ignorance were my excuse rather than laziness, weakness, attitude or flat out rebellion. The Bible always answers its own questions that it often raises if we read and study in context.

The qualities referred to in this verse are listed in the preceding verses. So if I want to be effective and productive with what I know to be true about my faith I must make myself a list of the qualities that make that more possible and probable. Here is a checklist of the qualities from verses 5-7. These work like building blocks, meaning we are supposed to keep building them on one another. Starting with faith we then add...

□ goodness
□ knowledge
□ self-control
□ perseverance
□ godliness
□ mutual affection
□ love

This list has kept me busy for a lifetime thus far. The more I focus on these qualities and how they work together, the more effective and productive I am. A little food for thought today. Now, as for me, back to the list.

Working on it with you,
Pastor Fred
 

Faith Triumphs In Trouble

Romans 5:1-5 " 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, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance, character, and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us."  

Some days our words are not sufficient. But His grace is, so we hope in that. My heart is inexplicably full of joy today. So l will power on and stand as best l can in Him, knowing that at the end of each day these words from Romans are true. So l have the Holy Spirit.  What a gift. May we open that gift, each one of us today.

In His Service,
Pastor Fred

Acts 3:4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John.  Then Peter. said, "Look at us."

Eye contact is so powerful.  So much opportunity for contact, for communication, and for ministry is missed for a lack of eye contact. My father used to make me look him in the eyes.  Especially, it seemed, when he knew I was lying.  But also, when he as concerned about me for other reasons.


We aren't terribly fond of eye contact.  With younger children, we ask for eye contact to make sure we are being heard or understood.  I sometimes want eye contact so I can convey that I care or give someone an opportunity to share or trust.  Peter and John gave something to share and they want to make sure they are understood.

Our lives can get pretty messed up and complicated.  I hope we don't miss too many opportunities to look each in the eyes so we can respond to what is really going on for us and each other.  The beginning of help or change or the miraculous can be as simple as really looking into each other's eyes.

Here's looking at you my friends,
Pastor Fred