"His Words Before Gethsemane" 

John17:26 "I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love which You loved me may be in them, and I in them.

I am reminded again and again that God is love. Not only because the Scripture states that emphatically, but because l have experienced it firsthand. That is, His love for me. Also His love from within me, flowing from me.

So Jesus after praying for Himself, then praying for His disciples, also prays for us, future believers. This verse about declaring His Name and His Father's love for Him being the love in us... are His last words before Gethsemane. What love.

His wonderful, perfect love has been the compelling factor throughout His obedient mission. I must remember this love. His love from His Father for Him that is in me. For me and for all. Just like Him. The love of Gethsemane.

With His love,
Pastor Fred

"My God, My God" 

Psalm 22:1-2,14 "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are you so far from helping Me, and from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear Me; and in the night season, and am not silent. I am poured out like water, and all My bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it has melted within Me."

These words are prophetic about Jesus on the cross. Yet we have at times felt this way. Hard to admit that we could share even a drop of our Lord's anguish, but we sometimes feel like we are abandoned, unsure forsaken and removed.

Jesus does know our trouble and pain, our distraught and distance. He cares deeply and passionately for each of us. When we think we are at the end of anything or everything, He is there. Our Rock and Shield. Our Savior and Shepherd.

A dear friend of mine wrote her reflections on these verses and that inspired me to share something similar with you today. She was a college-aged girl in my first youth ministry and is a prolific writer and dear heart. Hope you are encouraged to be reminded of His love and grace this week, especially from the perspective of the cross. Good to know Jesus understands.

In Him,
Pastor Fred 

"David Said" 

1 Chronicles 29:10-13 "Therefore David blessed the Lord before all the assembly, and David said... Blessed are you, Lord God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever.  Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and on earth is Yours. Yours is the Kingdom O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; ln Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name."

I think David has a way with words. I think God spoke truth through David. I do not think l can improve at all on David's praise. So l will encourage you to read the Scripture again. I am going to do that again myself now.

Enjoy... Pastor Fred

Are You Glad to See Jesus?
A Palm Sunday Devotion By Kirk Cameron

When our loved ones return home we are always glad to see them. However, the extent of our joy is usually in direct correlation to how long they have been away — a few hours, a day, many days, a year ... or longer. The longer we wait for someone to arrive, typically the more excited we are to see them and the greater our joy in their return.

The Triumphal Entry
There was a jubilant atmosphere among the people of Israel on the day in which Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. The people had waited a long time for the promised Messiah. Since the time of Abraham, they had longed to see their promised King, the Seed promised in the Garden and confirmed to Abraham–the Seed who would conquer their enemies and bless the nations (Genesis 22:17-18).

For centuries Israel had awaited the coming of their King, but this King did not look as they would have expected.

• Kings rode on horses. This King rode on a donkey.
• Kings were adorned in royal apparel. This King wore the clothes of a humble peasant.
• Kings were accompanied by an entourage of fighting men. This King rode in alone, followed only by a few friends.
• Kings had many servants. This King served many.
• Kings wore crowns of gold and precious gems. This King would wear a crown of thorns.
• Kings were protected at all costs. This King would give His life paying the cost of sin.
• Kings made loud proclamations and the people were silent. This King was silent when the people were loud.

This King was unlike any other king, and yet this King’s entry into town was hailed by the people.

"And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." (Mark 11:9)
"Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest." (Mark 11:10) 

The people expected a King and they hailed Him as King. They expected the Kingdom of David to be re-established, but that's not what they got. It was what they wanted, but it was not what they needed. Jesus had not come to be King of the land. He came to be the King of their hearts. God's plan was very different than what the people had hoped for.

God bless,
Ron Hodge

“Who Is This?”
 
Matthew 21:10 "When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, "Who is this?"
 
Oh how we should hope that this would be the burning question in response to this season. Not about church, not about issues, nor about hypocrisy, or about programs, buildings, or anything or anyone other than Jesus. We want to do what we do and say what we say so that people will ask about Jesus. After all, He is the main thing. He is what will really stir things up. If you don't think so, try dropping His Name in a conversation. He is what it is all about. The reason the people asked the question was because His followers were treating Him like a King. When Jesus is the main thing, when He is King, people will ask questions. The right questions. Let's do what puts the focus on Him, He will do the rest. Who is this, anyway? This is Jesus, our Lord and King.
 
In Him,
Pastor Fred 

"Launching Out"

Luke 5:4 "Jesus said to Peter, 'Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."

Simon Peter and the other disciples are in a boat with Jesus. Excuse me while I digress. I would just love that. Best possible scenario for me all around. In a boat, on the water, going fishing... with my Lord? Sign me up.

The crowds were pressing in close to hear Jesus teach on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, so to accommodate them he got in Peter's boat and pushed away a little, so people could see and hear better. After teaching he tells Peter to launch out into the deep and let down the nets for a catch.

If you read the story, Peter is reluctant, but agrees and of course they haul in nets so full of fish they are breaking and need to call out to another boat and both are about to sink there are so many fish. Peter repents of his lack of faith and unwillingness Jesus responds by telling him not to be afraid, because from now on they will be catching men.

Wow. Question. Why won't you launch out or go deeper? I am dealing with that question right now, in my heart. Makes me want to repent. What would the Lord do if we would but trust Him, launch out a little further and let down a little deeper? Hopefully we will find out, individually and together.

Fishing for a bigger catch with you,
Pastor Fred

Daily Devotional 

“Bold Requests”

Psalm 118:25 "LORD, do save, we beseech You. LORD we beseech You, do send prosperity." (nasb)

Must admit, this declaration of David's has somehow slipped by me over the years. Perhaps because it is preceded by prophetic words about Christ the Cornerstone, that I know I have referenced.  But, after all, there are over 31,100 verses in Scripture. Sometimes you can gloss over a few, right? Interesting request combination. Salvation and prosperity.  Obviously, the first request is paramount. Just think, as the Word says, "to gain the whole world and lose one's soul" would be foolish. Maybe the prosperity is not about stuff or wealth. Can we prosper in non-material blessings or in intangible benefits? How about prospering in His wisdom or in the joy of serving Him. I guess it is all about your perspective. How about being saved from consumerism and prospered in generosity. Funny huh? Just not how we tend to first think about it. LORD, give us what we really need before we are destroyed by what we want. Prosper us for your purposes.

Beseeching God to give us what would glorify Him,
Pastor Fred

Today’s devotional is taken from “Jesus Today” by Sarah Young

Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved. – Psalm 55:22 NKJV
“Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Cast your burden on Me, and I will sustain you. No matter what your circumstances may be, I can – and will – carry you through them. Sometimes you are weighted down by a situation that seems too heavy for you. Do not try to cope with this burden alone. Instead, bring it into My Presence and cast it on Me, releasing it into My care and keeping. Although your circumstance may not change right away, you can find real relief through this process.

Casting your burden on Me is a spiritual transaction. You acknowledge that I am in charge of your life and that outcomes are ultimately My domain. This lightens your load immensely, relieving you from feeling responsible for things beyond your control. When you come to Me weary and burdened, I have promised that I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you – trusting in My unfailing Love – and let Me carry your heavy load. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Daily Devotional 

Today's devotional is from Our Daily Bread.  I hope it blesses you.

Love in Christ Jesus. 

Hank

For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. Romans 11:36

Some of us are inclined to look at the world and see only what’s wrong. DeWitt Jones is a National Geographic photographer who has used his profession to celebrate what’s right about the world. He waits and watches until a shaft of light or turn of perspective suddenly reveals a wonder that had been there all along. He uses his camera to find beauty in the most common faces of people and nature.

If anyone had reason to focus on the wrongs of the world, Job did. After losing all that had given him joy, even his friends became his accusers. Together their voices taunted him for not admitting that he was suffering for sins he was hiding. When Job cried out to the heavens for help, God remained silent.

All creation points to God. 

Finally, from within the chaos of a whirlwind and the darkness of a storm, God asked Job to consider wonders of nature that reflect a wisdom and power far beyond our own (Job 38:2–4).

Would He now ask us? What about something as natural as the ways of a dog, cat, fluttering leaf, or blade of grass? Could a shaft of light, or a turn of perspective, reveal—even in our pain—the mind and heart of a Creator who has been with us and for us all along?

Father in heaven, we’ve spent too much time thinking only about what is wrong and broken with our world. Please help us to see evidence of Your presence in the wonder of what only You could have done.

"His Kingdom Will Not End" 

Luke 1:33 "And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of His Kingdom there will be no end."

This is the last sentence of the Angel Gabriel's pronouncement over Mary about who her baby is. The house of Jacob is all of us who believe. He is Jesus. Jesus is the King of all. 

Sometimes l see the church floundering. Not Grace Harbor so much, but the church universal. His Kingdom work all over the world is ongoing. But, the American church is seemingly dazed and reeling. Churches closing faster than they can be planted. Pastors leaving the local church ministry by droves. Not being replaced. But, of His Kingdom there will be no end. Christ must be the Head of His Church. That is the only way His Kingdom work in America can survive. Sure, there are new models for Kingdom work, but the local church, the community and neighborhood ministry is desperately needed to pass on His Kingdom work to the next generation. Maybe not organized the same, maybe not worshipping or reaching out the same. But, nonetheless His Kingdom presence in our communities.

What encouraged me is Gabriel's confidence in Jesus to bring His Kingdom on earth. So we keep serving and striving to be His Body. Generation to generation, never ending. Christ is the Head of His Church, whatever that should look like. The only way we lose this is if we lose our head. Or connection to our head. So Jesus is our focus church.  If not, we could become another statistic. It is not about numbers, it is about being His body with Him as our Head.

Stay connected in Him,
Pastor Fred

"God Will Help You Understand" 

Luke 24:45-49 "He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the scriptures. Then He said to them, thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

God truly desires for us to understand and comprehend His Word. Before He shares Luke's words on The Great Commission,  He specifically anoints them with a supernatural understanding of what He is about to tell them. He then explains why He came, and died and resurrected and why. Then, He promises The Holy Spirit so they can continue to comprehend and understand His Word after Pentecost. God keeps providing every opportunity and possibility for us to know Him through His Word. Our comprehension and understanding can improve. He has given every believer at salvation the Holy Spirit to reveal the meaning of His Word. Read the passage again and know His desire is for you and me to know Him through His Word. Talk to Him about this whenever you open The Bible.

In His Word,
Pastor Fred 

 "HOPE" 

 By: J. Hampton Keathley III

ROMANS 8:24-25 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.     

What is hope? Is it a wishy washy maybe or a kind of unsure optimism? The modern idea of hope is “to wish for, to expect, but without certainty of the fulfillment; to desire very much, but with no real assurance of getting your desire.”

In Scripture, according to the Hebrew and Greek words translated by the word “hope” and according to the biblical usage, hope is an indication of certainty. “Hope” in Scripture means “a strong and confident expectation.” Though archaic today in modern terms, hope is akin to trust and a confident expectation.

Hope may refer to the activity of hoping, or to the object hoped for—the content of one’s hope. By its very nature, hope stresses two things: (a) futurity, and (b) invisibility. It deals with things we can’t see or haven’t received or both.

Biblically, from the standpoint of the object hoped for, hope is synonymous with salvation and its many blessings, past, present, and future, as promised in Scripture. This is true even with what we have already received as believers because these blessings come under the category of what we cannot see. We may see some of the results, but it still requires faith and hope. For example, we do not see the justifying work of God, the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to our account, nor do we see the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when we are saved, nor our co-union with Christ. We believe this to be a reality, but this is a matter of our hope. We believe in the testimony of God in the Word and hope for the results in our lives.

In summary, hope is the confident expectation, the sure certainty that what God has promised in the Word is true, has occurred, and or will in accordance with God’s sure Word.

David Cunningham

Made In HIS Image  <><

"Outsiders"  Colossians 4:5 "Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time." Those "outside" mentioned here are unbelievers. Believers are called to so live that they establish the credibility of the Christian faith and that they make the most of every evangelistic opportunity. We are commissioned to deport ourselves in such a way that we draw people to the light. We are to let our lights shine, by letting Christ shine through us. Believers must stay close together so we can be even brighter unified. Today l will endeavor to be a light, to wisely shine so all can see His love and His truth. He is love, He is light. It is time to shine for Him. He came to redeem, we stay to redeem the time He gave us for His purposes. I hope everyone comes inside. I pray they see His light. I hope we shine for Him, l pray for revival, renewal and restoration. Inside, outside and everywhere for everyone. Time is precious. So are people. Let's be wise toward those who need Him.Those He loves. In Him, Pastor Fred

"Too Much Serving?" 

Luke 10:40a " But Martha was distracted with much serving.."

It is possible to be so busy doing things we think are important, even serving Jesus, that we are distracted from the one thing that is necessary.

In Matthew 13 in the Parable of the Sower, Jesus said that the worries of this age and the deceitfulness of wealth can choke God's word, preventing it from producing fruit in our lives (verse 22). In the passage above, Jesus did not rebuke or criticize Martha. He did not say that her service to Him was bad. He simply said that Mary's hunger to learn from Him had caused her to choose what was the most important.

We must work. In fact, we cannot obey God's word if we don't do what He tells us to do. But if we are so busy with the affairs of life, even ministry, that we are distracted from God's word, we are crowding out the one thing that Jesus said is necessary.

For the Kingdom,
Pastor Fred

 "The Perfect Church" 

Acts 6:1 " In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint…"

The church is not a place for perfect people. As a matter of fact, far from it. The Book of Acts is an amazing journal of the early church. It tells of God's power, the spread of His Good News, the persecution of believers, conversions of faith, acts of compassion and church strife. Wait a second, didn't the Holy Spirit come to them at Pentecost? Didn't they share with each other and welcome new people to the faith? Didn't they worship, study, pray and fellowship? Yes, but they also disagreed, fought, showed favoritism, were lazy and weak, caved into temptation, sued each other, were divisive, unforgiving, idolatrous, chaotic and immoral. Yes, inside the church.

Answer me this... if the Bible isn't real or true, wouldn't you leave the ugliest parts out? The church is not a place for perfect people. Or for pretending to be perfect either. If you are perfect you will not fit. But, just because we are imperfect, doesn't mean we should not improve or should justify unchristian attitudes or behavior. We are a work In progress, and we must do better, for the sake of Christ. God help the church. We need it. Help us pastors too.

So, l encourage you to come to church. Together we can do better. Jesus loves you and He is perfect at that, and we are working on it. 

Join us in seeking His help. God loves His church, His bride. 
Pastor Fred 

Ps... the complaint was about favoritism.

"Seeing but not believing" 

Acts 4:14-15

"But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together."

When we don't want to believe it or receive it we won't.  Even clear evidence, unless heart-changing, will not compel us to change our minds.  Facts can get twisted, stories get spun, and we seldom reconsider anything.  The truth or evidence may shut us up momentarily but it doesn't necessarily change our minds, or certainly not our hearts.

If we don't need or want a Savior, we will deny everything we see in order to not surrender.  Such is the nature of humans. We are a tenacious lot when it comes to protecting the status quo.  Defending it even.  Even destroying anything that challenges us to change.

So if we can just remove from our lives anyone who disagrees with us then we are just fine. Denial is a funny process, isn't it?  Sure helps the status quo when we can find like-minded folks to concur.  At least let us be in our denial and not challenge us.  After all, if you don't disagree you agree, right?  This is how we get and stay entrenched.

Please don't.  Seeing can be believing. Let us ask to see what He is showing us, not just what we want to see.

Open my eyes Lord,
Pastor Fred

"With Fervent Desire" 

Luke 22:1-71 the Passover Celebration of Jesus.

The story within the story, many years ago when the Holy Spirit shed His revelational light upon this verse I was amazed at how desperately in Love Jesus was and is in love with me.

Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15)

With FERVENT DESIRE I have DESIRED? Why would a man, THE MAN, desire to be the Lamb of God? Words have meaning and it is important to know WHO says the words, in this case it is directly from Jesus, God Himself.

Fervent desire is “epithymia” which a longing, a lust (in a good sense here) for something. Followed by another desire; Desire is “epithymeo” which is to set the heart upon, i.e. long for What did Jesus desire so intensely I wondered? He so graciously said it was not a WHAT but WHO..me! So personal a relationship can be found in these words found in Hebrews 12:2, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith, who for the JOY that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

I study so I may know Him and who I am now. “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of HIM: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of HIS calling, and what the riches of the glory of HIS inheritance in the saints” (Eph 1:17-18)

How passionately He desires to be our all; God, Lord, King, Friend, Brother, Shepherd and especially the Groom and me the Bride! Go ahead and have a fervent desire to be in His presence because the Greater One, The Holy Spirit lives in YOU!

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith HE loved us, (Eph 2:4)

Extravagant Worship, is there any other kind?
Greg Metcalf