January 2021
Message from Pastor Tom:
Happy New Year and yes, this sounds great after everything we have endured in 2020. However, Covid and some of the craziness will be with us a while longer. Most people are still working from home, struggling with home schooling their children and bouncing around their schedules, many are dealing with total loss of their businesses or employment. Does any of this sound like a really great start to the New Year? A few questions for each of us to ponder. Is my foundation a firm one, steady and unshakable, or is it a bit unstable? Can I hold up under the strain and unforgiving pressure of this worldly life alone?
The answer to all these questions is very simply no. Not if you are trying to do it alone, if your foundation is not built solidly on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Matthew 7:24-27 states, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
Trust me, I’ve been a building inspector and seen my fair share of damage and building collapse from structures built on shaky foundations. I personally find having Christ as the foundation in my life a very stabilizing and solid basis for everything I do, how I react to various situations, and also for direction in the decisions I make daily in my life. I’ve always wondered how anyone could fail to choose God, or trust in the Father’s promises, receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit, know the power of prayer and the authority of the cross?
The answer however soon becomes clear. We are not allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in knowing what God wants and how He thinks, being more concerned with what we want and think. All of us are guilty of this at one time or another during our walk with God. But if we stay focused on God’s plan and purpose for our life, if we open our hearts and listen to that soft, small voice speaking to us, find the quiet time to be with the Lord in prayer, by shutting off that radio, TV, or cell phone, we can start working on that close personal relationship with our Lord. I know I want to experience the promise God has given to all of us, I want eternal life with the Father. What do you want? Will you take it to prayer? The line of communication is open and God is waiting to hear from each of us.
If you don’t already have a daily habit of devotion to the Lord, it’s not too late to start. Why not begin by simply looking deeply into your heart, and then ask God to draw you closer into a relationship with Him? To increase our trust in God, we must fill our minds with the truth of Scripture, remember our Father’s faithfulness to us in the past, and look for His hand working in our present situation. When our minds are renewed, our faith will be also.
Heidi and I ask that you join us in praying for peace for our country, our leaders and those who are persecuted racially and spiritually worldwide. Until next month, may God richly bless you and keep you, may His face shine upon you always.
Blessings from a pastor and his wife
Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness” 2 Timothy 2:19.
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