OUR SAFE PLACE

February 6, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“My times are in Thy hand.” – Psalms 31:15

Every event is under Divine control. Nothing is left to chance.

The hand of God is in all that occurs; directing, overruling, and sanctifying to our good.

He appointed all that concerns us, and appointed all in infinite wisdom and love; therefore we should not judge rashly, or conclude hastily. We know not what may occur today, but we know that the purpose of God cannot be frustrated, nor can His purpose fail. He worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.

He says, “My purpose shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” But this is our comfort, that He taketh pleasure in His people, and in the prosperity of His servants.

Let us consider, then, everything passes under our Father’s eye; is overruled by our Saviour’s power; is directed by the Holy Spirit to do us good. It shall not be as our enemies wish, or as our hearts fear; but as our God and Father pleases, and has ordained.

Be not therefore anxious, troubled, or cast down; the Lord God omnipotent reigneth, and He is God. He shall preserve thee from evil, He shall preserve thy soul.–James Smith

I know not what may soon betide,
But Jesus knows, and He’ll provide;
My life is by His counsel plann’d,
And all my times are in His hand:
I’ll therefore trust, nor yield to fear, But cast on Jesus all my care

DODGING DISTRACTIONS

February 6, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith;…”–Heb. 12:2

It was a dark night and we are camped on a small lake in the middle of nowhere in East Texas. As we prepared for bed my youngest son commented on the vast number of stars. He had no idea that there were so many! Then it dawned on me that he had never viewed the stars on a clear night away from the ambient light of the big city. It was a shocking revelation for him. That reminded me of something very important. We can see more when there are no distractions! The stars are there whether we see them or not, but we see their beauty and benefit from their guidance only if our view is unobstructed. The same could be said in regards to God’s presence and promises.

We live in a world of many distractions and if we aren’t careful we will focus on the wrong things. To live a victorious life we must keep “Looking unto Jesus” (Heb. 12:2). As we “consider Him” (Heb. 12:3) we are enabled to push on through difficulties and disappointments. Therefore we must not allow ourselves to be distracted. We must get away, best we can, from the things of the world that dim our vision of Christ.

Keep in mind that distractions are not, in and of themselves, bad things. The city lights serve a good and useful purpose, but they can also hide the stars. Even so, sinless things can become sinful if we allow them to distract us from the more important things in life. The greatest enemy of the best is usually something good rather than something bad. Things that, in and of themselves, are not sinful can nevertheless become a weight that slows us down, holds us back, and keeps us from our goal. They become distractions that are deadly! Just as many accidents are caused by “rubber-necking” many lives are ruined by being focured on the wrong things. A. W. Tozer wrote, “Among the enemies to devotion none is so harmful as distractions. ….Distractions must be conquered or they will conquer us.” To be safe we must turn our eyes upon Jesus and keep them there.–HDS

IT’S ALRIGHT

February 6, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“And in nothing terrified by your adversaries.“– Phil. 1:28

I was sitting in my office at my desk. Across from me sat a man I loved dearly. As we talked about him having terminal cancer he said, with a smile on his face, “God is God and He is going to do what He wants to do”. Then the smile broadened and he added, “And that’s alright”.

Many things about that man, a deacon/music director, had impressed me, but never anything quite like this. Seeing the greatness of his faith and calmness of spirit left a deep impression on me. It made me wonder, however, “Why should we think that to be out of the ordinary for a Christian?” Should that not be every believers attitude? Do we not serve the same God and have the same hope he had? Did not Paul say, “to die is gain“(Phil. 1:21)? Would it not be “far better” to “depart, and to be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23)? Has God ever been unfair or made a mistake? Is not the grave but the gate to glory?

Dear friend we are all moving toward that day when we shall make our last move and enter into the presence of the Lord! As strange as it might seem to unbelievers, the best day of a Christian’s life is his last day. It is at that point that every problem will be solved, every pain will be removed, and every enemy banished. What we leave and what we receive will make death gain for every child of God. Our exit here will be our entrance into the presence of the Lord.

Naturally we all have question. Death is something we’ve never experienced before, plus there is the concern for others factor. We wonder about their welfare. Even when we know our loved ones are saved and that we shall be reunited it doesn’t always take away the anxiety. I doubt that any of us knows exactly how we would deal with the news that we are about to die. But if you are truly saved I suspect that you will do better than you think. I say that because God’s grace is sufficient for any situation. So while we might mourn, let us never murmur! The best is yet to come! Until that day comes let us believe, as Paul, that “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Phil. 4:13)– HDS

STIFLING STRIFE

February 3, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.“– Phil. 2:3-4

It would be a wonderful thing if we all did nothing “through strife or vainglory” and esteemed others “better than themselves“, as the Bible tells us to do. Just imagine a family or church where everyone has such love for one another. That would result in great peace and joy. There is no telling what great things would happen were such love, humility, obedience, and joy displayed. To say that the results would be wonderful is an under statement. It would be glorious. That’s why God says, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;”– Phil.2:14-15.

If you’re looking for loop holes, a common practice, to justify your failure take note of the word “nothing” in vs. 4. There are no exceptions. Certain things sometimes prompt us to act out of character and do things we normally don’t do– but they shouldn’t. There is never a cause for disobedience. It is our own selfish, sinful, stubborn attitude that causes us to fail and fall. The word “nothing” means something. It means “not even one”, no-thing. That’s a test we all fail, which is evidence that we all need God’s help all the time. This is a standard too high for people so weak. And our need of God is not just in this area, but every area of life. Without Christ we can do nothing (John 15:5).

We wonder why we can’t get along with one another, why we lack love for others, when the problem is our attitude toward God. Those who don’t reverence God won’t respect others. We will never mend our problems with man as long as we try to hold God at arms length, lest He be too controlling to suit our flesh. Those who tell us we need more “self-esteem” have it backwards. Self esteem is the problem not the solution. We already think too highly of ourselves– and thus too little of others. It is only when we put God first in our lives that we will learn to live with one another.–HDS

TOTAL TRUST

February 2, 2017 By Pastor David Stone

“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him“– Job 13:15

There is perhaps no man in history, besides Jesus Christ himself, who has suffered as greatly as Job. Job’s afflictions came because of his obedience to God, yet he seemed to be utterly forsaken by God while afflicted by men and Satan.

Job completely lost his wealth, his family, and his health. His flocks were stolen, his children were killed, his wife turned against him, and his body was ravaged by disease.

If you were to look at him, after Satan was given free rein to afflict him, you would see boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head (Job 2:7), the puss of which he had to scrape off his body. He sat among ashes—probably to dry up the sweating of his boils—so he was caked with white dust from head to toe.

Yet this precious confession is uttered from those very lips: “I will trust God, even if it kills me! And I will walk faithfully before Him, even when I do not see or feel Him.”

It is no wonder that Job is set before us in the New Testament as an example of patience and faith. No matter how dark things may be for you, you can draw strength from Job’s courageous testimony, because we know that, in the end, God was faithful to deliver and bless him.

May Job’s trust in the faithfulness of God inspire you to patience and hope even in the darkest of times. Though He may seem to be slaying your every source of happiness, it is only so that you will find your greatest joy in Him.– “A Good Thing”

OUR SAFE PLACE

DODGING DISTRACTIONS

IT’S ALRIGHT

STIFLING STRIFE

TOTAL TRUST

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