“Let’s Dance”

Psalm 31:11 "You have turned for me my mourning into dancing."

Life brings tears and sorrow. That is part of life. But God has a way with me to turn my mourning into dancing. He can change my mood and my attitude in a moment or just a few minutes. Recently I was wearing some big burdens and the weight of my worries was bogging me down. Let me share with you the three things that I believe God did for me to turn my mourning into dancing. 

1. Saw a baby hummingbird in a nest. Wow, amazing.
2. A preschooler laid her head on my arm as we were sitting a the picnic table.
3. Three of my favorite 60's oldies played in a row on an AM station.

Do you see God at work like that? A little advice. Keep your eyes and heart open. Hang around little children when you need love. Feel free to dance a little in your car and pretend only God is watching. Things can only turn if we are willing to be moved.

Let's dance more,

Pastor Fred 

“Be My Helper”

Psalm 31:10 "Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me; O LORD, be my helper.

I know God hears me. I know He is gracious and will help me. The question is, will I talk to Him, will I receive and live in His grace, will I accept His help. My issues are never about God listening, or Him being gracious, or Him helping. My issues, my needs, my troubles and everything that is part of my life comes back to me and my will. I must be willing to tell Him all, even though He knows already, I need to be real with Him. Then, I need to experience the ongoing receiving of His grace, even though that is so humbling, because I know what it cost Him. And, I must follow the directive of the help He gives me. Even though once I am reassured He hears and still extends His grace I am tempted to make my own adjustments. My will, His will, that is the crux of the matters every time. So today I surrender anew grateful to be heard and shown grace and hopefully willing to accept the help I have been, am being and will be given.

Humbly  His,

Pastor Fred

 “Two Masters”  Taken from GHCS Staff Devotionals

Matthew 6:24

“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS. If I am truly your Master, you will desire to please Me above all others. If pleasing people is your goal, you will be enslaved to them. People can be harsh taskmasters when you give them this power over you.

If I am the Master of your life, I will also be your First Love. Your serving me is rooted and grounded in My vast, unconditional Love for you. The lower you bow down before Me, the higher I lift you up into intimate relationship with Me. The Joy of living in My presence outshines all other pleasures. I want you to reflect My joyous Light by living in increasing intimacy with Me.

Revelation 2:4

“I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established love…”

“Rescued”

Colossians 1:13-14 "For He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

What a wonderful transfer this is for all believers. Question.... as wonderful as it is in the kingdom where we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins, why do we keep visiting that domain of darkness where the other guy offers us nothing but trouble? If I have been transferred for my own good, why do I try to transfer back, where I know it is not good for me? Interesting questions.

Another thought and question... seeing as I have been rescued, since I was obviously in danger, why would I go back to where I was at risk? Wow, my old sin nature can sure be strong, how about yours? Thank you Lord for rescuing me, help me to remember why and what for, before I drift back to into what I needed to be rescued from, whatever that might be. Choose His kingdom over that other domain, you won't regret it, I don't.

In His Grip,

Pastor Fred

 “Who Runs the Church?

Colossians 1:18 "He is also head of the body, the church."

In a recent conversation someone asked me, "how long had I been head of Grace Harbor? I said I wasn't. Then they asked, "then who is?" I said Jesus. They said, "No really, who runs everything." I said Jesus. They said, "Seriously, somebody is in charge, a real person." I said, Jesus is a real person and He is in charge and runs everything.

This conversation was going nowhere so I said that when we let Him be the head of His Body, His Church it always runs better. Then they said, "But do you?" I knew what they meant. Do we actually have Jesus as the head of the body, the church? Well... we know we should, and when we don't get into it with each other about who is really in charge and go to Him in prayer or to His Word for guidance, instead of ourselves.

Actually, functionally having Jesus be head of the church is harder than letting Him be head of our individual lives, if you think about it. You know how hard that is. This is a case where two heads or more are not better than one. Anyway, He is head of the church, and me and you. So let's work on that individually and together. 

Amen? Amen! 

Pastor Fred

1 John 3:11 "The message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another."

Yes yes yes. But not just love one another. Here is a list of 14 other ways we should treat one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.

1. Rom. 12:16  "Be like-minded toward one another."
2. Col. 2:16  "Do not judge one another."
3. Rom.15:14  "Admonish one another."
4. Gal. 5:13  "Serve one another."
5. Col. 3:13  "Bear with one another."
6. Eph. 4:32  "Be kind to one another."
7. Eph. 5:21  "Submit to one another."
8. Col. 3:13  "Forgive one another."
9. 1Thess.4:18  "Comfort one another."
10. Heb. 10:25  "Exhort one another."
11. James 4:11  "Do not speak evil of one another."
12. James 5:9  "Do not grumble against one another."
13. James 5:16  "Confess your trespasses to one another."
14. James 5:16 "Pray for one another."

This has always been His plan for how we should treat one another. Above all He wants us to love one another. This is a good list of how to do that. 

Let us be In Him with one another, 

Pastor Fred 

“Confidence In Him In You”

2 Cor. 7:16 "I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you."

Paul is often encouraging and convicting at the same time. This verse precedes a chapter about giving, and I must remind myself that in his original letter there are no chapters or verses which means we can sometimes miss connections in the flow of his message. Frankly Paul is rejoicing in reflection about their joyful connection with Titus and in advance about his confidence that when he shares a giving need, they will respond joyfully and generously.

Whenever I have confidence in anyone it is because I have confidence in Christ in them. This is what Paul is referring to also. As Paul says in Philippians 1:6 "He that began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." Though this verse is referring to spiritual completion in the hereafter it is also true of the Lord's work in and through us here too.

We are too "gun shy" to speak enough about giving needs and admittedly the "church" through the years has too often made it too much about that. Paul is trying to warm them up and be tactful because giving needs are never easy to talk about candidly. But I shall take a pointer from Paul and say that "I also rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you." No matter what it is. Eternal or temporal things. Sharing joys or sharing needs you will be obedient to Him who prompts you. He who is in you. If you like, read Chapter 8 for yourself and your will see what Paul is prefacing in our devotional verse for today.

In His Word with you,

Pastor Fred