Along The Way

Along The Way

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New Living Translation)

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

   In last week’s message I wrote about God’s love, (did I mention that nothing can separate you from God’s love?) but there have been times in my life when I was not persuaded of these verses.  I have felt alone and cut off and orphaned and hurt and fearful and cried alone in the night.  There have been times when I’ve wondered where the love of God had gone to because I surely didn’t feel loved.

   I heard a story during one particularly dark period in my life that stuck with me and I take comfort from it.  A person was shown a tapestry.  It was a big piece of heavy cloth that a picture had been designed on using colored thread woven through the fabric.  But when the person first saw it, it was a mess!  Threads crisscrossed the picture and there were lots of knots and bumps that made no sense at all.  The person who made it proudly showed them all the hard work involved and how different colored threads were used and where they began and where they ended.  But it still looked confusing and disorderly.  Then the tapestry was turned over and the picture was beautiful and perfect.  An idyllic town nestled in the woods with a bubbling brook flowing by.  There were deer and squirrels and other animals playing in the woods and a farm had cows, goats and chickens.  The buildings were all different and people walked the streets and stood in doorways.  Threads had to cross on the back and knots had to be tied and ends had to dangle so that there would be a beautiful scene on the front. 

   I cling to this idea.  I will never know why I went through so many bumps and failures and wrong turns but I know with certainty, (I am persuaded,) that it was all for a reason.  Somehow it all had meaning and all worked together for my good.  And even if I never see what the good was in every situation, I will walk by faith and know God has my best interest in mind.  And since we walk by faith and not by sight, I will continue my journey through life confident that God is trustworthy and still in charge and tell myself His ways are not my ways and I need to keep walking along.  I will trip over some of the knots.  I will get tangled in some of the crisscrossing threads.  I will hit some of the bumps.  But I am walking towards a goal I can’t see and won’t understand it all until I’m there.

   If you don’t get what I’m saying, it’s OK.  You’ll just have to trust me.  Just a few years ago I would have read this and scoffed at it.  But as I’ve relied more on God and His love and accept by faith that He is in charge, the more I begin to see the truth in His Word and understand His love. 

Stephen Cram                                                   November 24, 2013                   

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.

          

Paul Answers His Own Question

Paul Answers His Own Question

Romans 8: 38&29 NKJV

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

   Paul spent the first seven chapters of Romans building the case that we are to live by faith in God and not by the old Law.  The Law brings death but faith in God brings life.  Then he gets to what we know as chapter eight and Paul hits his stride and writes some of the most precious promises in the New Testament.  When he gets towards the end of this passage he asks the question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”  The last part of this chapter is where Paul answers his own question. 

   First we find out Paul says he was persuaded.  Being persuaded is better than being “sold” on an idea.  He wasn’t talking about some good idea he read and was passing on, he was writing about something he had learned about through experience.  My thoughts are that he saw God’s love from the many Christians he persecuted.  He saw Stephen asking forgiveness for the ones who condemned him and then stoned him.  And then there was Ananias, who came to him and prayed for him to have his eyesight restored - a Christian going to pray for healing for the chief persecutor!  Then Barnabas taking him to Jerusalem and helping him begin his ministry.  Paul had lots of experience with God’s love.  Here he says he was persuaded. 

   So if he said he was persuaded that nothing could separate us from the love of God, and left it there, it would be a good ending to this chapter.  But he goes on to make his point a little more.  First he tells us that neither death nor life can separate us from God’s love.  Nothing in your life can separate you from God’s love and even death will not do it.  Period.  You can go now; you know all you need to know.

   But he goes even farther.  “Nor angels nor principalities nor powers…”  Here I see him telling us of the enemy’s agents that work to hinder our Christian walk.  No power of Hell can come between you and God.  If they could, they would, but they can’t!  God is in control and He’s more awesome than all Hell combined.  They don’t have the power to separate you from God’s love.  That’s a promise you need to hear and let it get under your skin and into your heart.  You need to know this when you’re under attack by the enemy.  They cannot separate you from God.  They cannot stop God from loving you and He will never, never, never leave you alone in your fight.  He loves you and will help you in times of trouble.    

   So far Paul’s covered life and death and the enemy, so what’s next?  How about things present and things to come?  Notice he doesn’t mention the past because what’s past is over and forgiven and washed clean by Christ’s blood and so doesn’t matter anyway.  And nothing in this present life can separate you from God.  You can make mistakes and fall away but God will never stop loving you.  You can hurt God and you can hurt others but you’ll never stop God from loving you.  And things to come indicates that the same will hold true no matter what happens in the future.  Nothing in life now or in the future can come between God and you. 

   Ok, Paul, got it!  But he goes on with more.  Neither height nor depth tells me that if I go to the highest mountain or descend into the deepest pit God will still love me.  I can’t go anywhere and be out of God’s Presence or separated from God’s love.    

   Then, just to be sure he didn’t miss anything by telling us that neither life nor death nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor the present nor the future nor height nor depth can separate us from God’s love he adds “nor any other created thing.”  Since all things were created except God Himself, this already all-inclusive statement becomes even more all-inclusive.  Paul is saying that even after he mentioned everything and every scenario through all of time, just so you get it he’s added everything in the whole universe.  Nothing created can come between us and God’s love.  That’s nothing human, supernatural, physical, emotional, present or future, all rolled together.  Nothing.  NOTHING can separate you from God’s love.

   By this time, I hope you’ve seen the truth is this passage.  Nothing can separate us from God’s love.  God is love.  It’s His nature and what we have the most experience with.  God decided to love mankind (and womankind) before He even created the world.  Jesus already committed His life to the cross before there was wood to make one.  “For God so loved the world…”  I have been asked why God cares so much for us.  Because He is love and when you love with your whole being that’s what results.  You love.  And because of Who He is; He will not permit anything to cut you off from that love. 

Stephen Cram                                                     November 17, 2013                     

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.

It Is Written Somewhere

It Is Written Somewhere

Matthew 4: 1-3

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 

2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 

3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

   You know the story.  Three times the devil tempts Jesus while quoting scripture incorrectly and Jesus answers back with scripture quoted accurately.  But this scene could have played out differently.  Had it been many Christians I know, myself included, we would have answered differently.  “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”  And I would have answered, “It is written, somewhere, just a minute, let me get out my concordance and look that up.  Um… I know it’s here somewhere.  OK, devil, just wait until I find it.  Oh, where is that verse?”  Doesn’t work so well that way, does it?

   I never was that good at memorizing scripture, but, I admit, I’ve let my mind get lazy.  I don’t even try to memorize scripture as I used to.  If we went through a time of troubles in our nation and lost the use of electric power, I would be back to looking through concordances and Bible handbooks.  But finding exact verses would be hard because I have failed to heed David’s words, Psalms 119:11  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Nor did I heed Moses’ words in Deuteronomy 11:18a “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul.”  When I need a verse for some situation I’m going through, I usually know a verse and can recite at least part of it from memory, but the problem is finding it.  WHERE is it written?  When you need a verse to help you, it’s too late to be thumbing a concordance or doing an on-line search for it, you need to have it in your heart so the Holy Spirit can prompt you right then. 

   Stories abound of Christians being persecuted and not having a Bible handy.  If you were locked up in a dank cell with no Bible, what would you do?  I know enough Bible stories to be able to recall them and draw comfort from them, but how about you?  If you lost use of your Bible, would you remember enough to draw comfort for yourself?  Or if you were with a group, could you do a Bible-less Bible study for them?

   You might scoff about the idea.  We have millions of Bibles in our country so you think you’re safe from ever facing that possibility – and I pray you’re right – but it has happened in the past.  Around eighty years ago the Nazis came to power in Germany and both Jews and Christians lost many freedoms.  The Jews were locked up in camps and often were allowed no Scriptures.  Christians were locked up in prisons and often were allowed no Bibles.  Forty some years ago soldiers captured by the Vietnamese were locked up and often allowed no books of any kind, including Bibles. 

   Winter is fast approaching and here in NW Ohio smart people are making sure they have snow shovels, ice melter for the sidewalks, anti-freeze in the car, warm coats and hats and gloves.  We prepare for the winter season with its cold and snow, but do we prepare for a season of spiritual winter?   Are you ready for the cold winds of persecution?  The icy desolation of God’s Word being forbidden?

   I pray this never happens to America.  But I read the papers and watch the news and see my beloved country stagger further and further away from God.  I know He has an ocean of love and patience, but I also know He let Israel be punished by her enemies for their sins.  If He let Israel be punished, what hope has a sinful, proud America?  I believe we need to prepare for winter.

Stephen Cram                                                                  November 10, 2013                       

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.

   

Is God’s Arm Too Short?

Is God’s Arm Too Short?

Numbers 11:23

And the Lord said to Moses, “Has the Lord’s arm been shortened? Now you shall see whether what I say will happen to you or not.”

   Moses cried out, "Why have I not found favor in Your sight, that You have laid the burden of all this people on me?" (Numbers 11:11).  Moses was exhausted with the ceaseless grumbling and complaining of the Israelite people.  They came to him all day long every day with their endless complaints.  Finally he lost his temper and cried out to God, "I alone am not able to carry all this people, because it is too burdensome for me" (Numbers 11:14).  Complaining about the complainers made Moses a complainer.  He was complaining about people always complaining. 

   But the Lord had an answer for him.  What he asked Moses was, “Has the LORD’S arm been shortened?”  The answer, of course, is “No.”  The LORD’s arm is not too short to reach us and not too limited to answer our needs and bring us blessings. 

   The facts were that the people were being taken care of; they just weren’t living in the lap of luxury.  They had food, the manna from heaven, and they had water.  God even saw to it that their shoes didn’t wear out.  They had been brought out of slavery and were on their way to a better land with plenty of water and good soil to grow crops in.  But they still complained.  And now Moses was overwhelmed with those complaints and was suffering from a form of depression. 

   Your faith has enemies, and one of the powerful enemies of faith is depression.  Depression and self-pity can create a condition inside you that leads to spiritual blindness.  When Moses allowed himself to be overcome by the pressures and stresses of his responsibilities, he slipped into depression and temporarily went spiritually blind.  He seems to have momentarily forgotten who God was and what God had done for him and for his people. 

   The people wanted meat to go with their manna and God had told Moses it would happen.  And more than that, there would be so much meat they would become sick of it.  And Moses, in his depressed state of mind, asked God how this could be?  There were 600,000 men, not counting women and children, and how could enough meat be found to feed them all?  This seems strange for Moses to say because God was supplying them with food every day, so why was it so hard to believe that He could give them meat as well?  If God chose to feed them meat instead of manna every morning, would that be too hard for God?  So God asked a question back to Moses, “Has the Lord’s arm been shortened?”  Had Moses forgotten that God already had done so much for them?  The ten plagues, split the sea and left dry land for them to walk on, fed them with manna and brought water from the rock?

   The next time you find yourself doubting God, ask yourself, "Has the arm of the LORD become shorter?"  The next time you find yourself despondent and depressed, remind yourself of what God had already done for you in the past.  Remember that old hymn, “count your blessings, name them one by one.”  I live by that because I can so easily forget what He has done for me and begin to doubt Him.  Again.  And again. 

   But when I begin to remind myself of all that God has blessed me with over the years, my spiritual blindness lifts and I can trust him for the answer.  My faith is never so great as when I am praising Him for what He has already done for me. 

   How about you?  Feeling a bit overwhelmed?  Are you feeling “down?”  You should try counting your blessings, naming them one by one.  And it WILL surprise you what the Lord has done.    

Asaph wrote in Psalm 77:11-12 NKJV

11 I will remember the works of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
12 I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.

Stephen Cram                                                                            November 3, 2013                      

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, following the tradition of men according to the rudiments of the world, and not in accordance with Christ.  Colossians 2:8

Visit my pastor’s blog at http://pastorjonrhinehart.blogspot.com/.