Thought for October 2024

Welcome to Fall! The glorious season of changing colors here in Upstate New York. One reason why many of us live here is for the four seasons, each one drastically different, unmatched as they change right before our eyes.

In a world of change, we long for the constant, the things that we can count on. We read in 1 Peter 1:22-25, “Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. For, ‘All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.’”

What a great treasure we have in this enduring word FROM God. The Bible, God’s truth, His breathed-out Word, alive and powerful, given to us so that we might be changed by it as it purifies us through our obedience to it. Timeless truth passed down from days of old, yet never out of date. Always able to affect and impact of life right where we are today, I am so thankful for this.

And to think that this comes from the greatest constant of all, God Himself. “I the Lord do not change.” (Malachi 3:6). “…The Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows.” (James 1:17). Throughout the pages of the Bible we learn about this amazing God. He is unlike anything that we have ever seen or heard. We cannot fully comprehend what He is like, and yet, He invites us to learn about Him and grasp just a small portion of understanding regarding His nature. Oh that we would desire to open the Bible and focus on discovering key qualities of Who God is and what He is like.

May our minds and hearts be open to understand more and more about this Great God that has loved us!

Thought for June 2024

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the water. Who may ascend the hill of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. He will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God his Savior. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob.” Psalm 24:1-6 (NIV84)

How amazing to know that we live in a world that is completely and totally under the control of our Great God! It is all His!  The days may be busy or full of potential worry, yet God is still there and is keenly aware of all that is going on. He gives us life and breath for each day and the privilege of walking with Him. He has placed the Holy Spirit inside of us so that we might have power to live a life that pleases Him. 

In these days may we take the time to reflect on His loving care for us. May we also seek Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Longing to walk closely with Him. Longing to have clean hands and a pure heart. Being appreciative for His love that has been shown to us. Being thankful for the forgiveness of sin. Striving to not allow sin to master us, but for us to master our sin nature. Striving to honor Him with our daily life.

I pray that we may be the generation of those who seek the face of our God! Faithfully living each day and passing on the Good News of the Gospel to our family and friends. To the praise of His glory and grace!

Thought for February 2024

In the book of Romans the Apostle Paul wrote to those who had believed in the city of Rome. As the center of the Roman Empire, it was a critical place for the truth of Jesus Christ to be preached. For those who lived there, their impact in the world around them was to be influenced greatly by their understanding of the Gospel and Paul goes into great detail to make sure they are clear in their grasp of the truth.

The same is true for us - as we strive to be effective as a “City on a Hill” that will not be hidden, we must also have a clear understanding of the Gospel message. In this book we see God’s magnificent plan of redemption - how we as lost and guilty human beings can be forever delivered from the penalty of sin through the righteousness of Christ. This is the truth that we are called to know and believe. And also in this book, we learn that this truth must be lived out as well. The positional truth that we understand is to be lived out on a daily basis. What we know is also what we should practically apply in our life.

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ’The righteous will live by faith.’” Romans 1:16-17

Thought for January 2024

A new year is upon us!

Much is shared about a new start in a new year. Yet there is also the need for reflecting on what is most important in one’s life. Through the holidays we have been reminded  of the importance of family and friends. And, of course, our faith has been in the mix as we have thanked God for all His blessings at Thanksgiving and then celebrated the birth of a Savior at Christmas - the most wonderful gift we could receive at the most wonderful time of the year.

I would hope and pray for each of us that these things would rise to their proper place of importance. That the lesser things would not take over the most important things. Sadly, many have allowed some things to supersede the truly important. Family relationships are failing and in dire need of attention. Churches are declining as many chose to be in other places. The impact of people with a true relationship with God is no longer evident in the society around us. Secularism is more impactful than spirituality.

As God’s people that are to live in community, we are called to put the most important things back in their proper place. God is to be first and foremost in our lives. He has loved us so greatly and done so much for us that we are forever indebted to Him. He calls us to love Him, love His church, and love the people He created. His Word is to be read and applied in our lives.

May God give us the eyes to see what He is doing and how we might be involved in His work, both in the church and the community in the year ahead. May we join with Him - serving Him as we serve and show love to those around us. The great hope of the Gospel is ours to share. May we do so joyfully and faithfully in the year ahead and may God richly bless us as we give ourselves to Him.

December 2023 Thought

Through the years many of us have, over and over again, heard the familiar carol, “O Holy Night”. We have listened to many recorded versions and undoubtably sung it ourselves hundreds, if not thousands of times. The lyrics are memorable and full of deep meaning when we truly stop and consider all that they communicate.

The very first verse sets the tone:
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of the dear Savior's birth

Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

Fall on your knees, oh, hear the angel voices
O night divine, O night when Christ was born

The announcement of a Savior being born comes to a world that is consumed in and destroyed by sin. We felt worthless and lacked the love and attention that God had originally planned for us to experience with Him. And yet, the declaration of One coming to set things back in order is, in a sense, a new morning - glorious, that causes weary humans to rejoice.

There is, in the air, a thrill of hope! The darkness won’t be dark forever - the light will overtake it; the sin won’t hold sway and cause death - life will overcome it; the brokenness causing feelings of unworthiness - the Savior will rescue and restore; the weariness will pass - songs of joy will ring out.

So in this wonderful season may we, as those who know this incredible Savior, be found full of hope…and joy!

May the last phrase of the song communicate where we find ourselves in the coming days:
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise His holy name

November 2023 Thought

Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.  - Psalm 105:1-4

This year is quickly drawing to a close. As we think back over these past months of 2023, where do our thoughts go? Without any doubt I am sure that there have been difficult days. Yet God invites us to look through those darker days and catch a glimpse of what He has been doing. Throughout all the events of the past year God has been faithfully and lovingly there aiding us through each and every one of them.

We are quick to remember the hard things, but God encourages us to remember the good things. He has been present and active in all these and He longs for us to acknowledge that and give thanks and praise to Him for all that He has done. His ever listening ear, His wonderful acts and the giving of His strength in moments of our weakness should cause us to well up with rejoicing, expressed in the words we speak and the songs we sing.

Our gaze is to be ever in His direction. He is to be our consistent and constant focus as we live our days here on this earth. As we do, we are able to live our life in light of God’s will for us as described in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

October 2023 Thought

In this life there is a constant push to change. Life is not static, it is fluid. Here in Upstate New York the seasons regularly change, thankfully! We grow older and our bodies change, maybe not as thankful here. Children become adults and then have children of their own. Careers change, moving from place to place and even from working to retirement. Technology continually advances, regularly leaving us on a steep learning curve to do old things in new ways.

Yet there are some things that necessarily remain unchanged. Most importantly, God Himself - “I the Lord do not change” (Malachi 3:6) and “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows” (James 1:17). I, for one, am grateful that He is always there. His Word is also constant for our life here on earth. “For you have been born again…through the living and enduring word of God…the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever” (1 Peter 1:23-25). These are a steady presence in changing and uncertain times like these.

So we hold tightly to these and pray we remain faithful. May we continue to strive be healthy followers of Jesus Christ.

September 2023 Thought

Where did our summer go? The beautiful days seemed to fly right by. I pray that you had opportunities for rest and rejuvenation in the past weeks. A physical recharge is always needed and appreciated.

As the days move into fall, we reset once again. Life moves into a normalized routine. The ebb and flow of our days is more consistent and maybe more hectic. Let’s not allow the important things of life be set aside for the “tyranny of the urgent”. Our physical health is often jeopardized by the rush and hurry of life as we neglect the vital and insert the immediate.

The same is true for our spiritual health. While we know that time with God in prayer and His Word, as well as time with other followers of Jesus in worship and fellowship are important; these often get set to the side as the pressures of our daily life crowd in and make their demands.

Healthy believers need a healthy church AND a healthy church needs healthy believers. This should be our focus in this upcoming fall season. Plan to regularly dive into the Bible to see what God has said in regards to being healthy, you first and then your church.