Why Should I Worry or Fret?

There is an old Southern Gospel song by the 

Bill Gaither Trio,

"Why Should I Worry or Fret"

Kind of a cute little ditty that asks a rather serious question-

Why do us Christians tend to worry so much?

Luke 12.25-26 says,

" Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?

Believe me, there are plenty of things to worry about.

It is the very nature of this broken world that we live in.

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5.16-18,

"Always be joyful. Never stop praying.  Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus."

The issue with worry or fretting over things is that it wears the spirit down.

Worry works directly against the faith in God that we are called

to walk in.

The Best defense against a worrying spirit is to be in continual communication

with the One who is our Eternal Peace and Light.

The more we surround ourselves with faith in God

and the Love of our Saviour, Jesus Christ,

the less room there is for fear to creep in.

Once more from Luke-

12.28,

" And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, 

he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

That is the question-

Are we going to live our lives by faith or in fear?

The choice is ours to make.

"I am your Strength and your Shield"

A few thoughts from my devotions this morning.

What a comfort to know, that while we are still in bed, having not even wiped the sleep from our eyes- Our Lord and Saviour has already got our day covered.

Understanding this can (and should) change how we view every day. Instead of wasting energy on worrying about the day, or fearing what may lie ahead, do this instead-

Concentrate on keeping connected to the source of our energy and life- Our Strength and our Shield.

It is open communication with Him that allows His power to flow freely through us. And when His power is flowing freely through us, it cannot be contained and will spill over to those around us.

Psalms 28.7 says that the writers "Heart leaps for joy, and my song raises to Him..."

Psalms 56.3, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in Him..."

In Matthew 6.34, Jesus tells the people, "Do not worry about tomorrow, tomorrow will worry for itself, each day has it's own troubles."

When fear starts to creep into you day- Remember who is your Shield.

Jesus' protection never wains, never falters, never fails.

He has you back for, both the known and unknown dangers around us.

The best security system in the universe- "I will never leave, nor forsake you, till the end of the age."

A Season Come and Gone

Another Holiday Season has come and gone.

 With all the trimmings, lights, candles and ribbons

 All the main Characters showed up!!

 The Tree decorated with care

Everyone participating...

 From the Youngest...

To the Oldest

And a good time was had by all!

Now that has all turned and another New Year is upon us.

(Actually, it's already here, I'm just a tad slow)

Sadly, for most the new year means the same old stuff as the last one.

As Christians, we have an obligation to the world, in fact it is our Highest Calling, 

to give a lost world a different view of life-

No matter the season or time of year.

So, in 2015 let each of us go beyond just another resolution.

Let us dedicate our lives, this year, to live out what this season actually means.

Through Faith in Christ, we are given a "New Birth"

John 3.3-5

Through Faith in Christ we are given a " New Walk"

Romans 6.14

Through Faith in Christ we are given a "New Goal"

Philippians 3.13-14

It is time to take the tree down, box up the decorations and clean up the mess.

Just because the calendar says it's a new month, a new year

Doesn't mean we get to put our faith and beliefs in box, too.

Be Blessed and Have a Wonderful 2015

LOOK UP- GOD'S BLESSING IS BEFORE YOU, BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK FOR IT TO SEE IT

LOOK UP- GOD'S BLESSING IS BEFORE YOU, BUT YOU HAVE TO LOOK FOR IT TO SEE IT

Living by the "Yes"

The future of the world is in the hands of the believers ( No pressure there, eh?)



It has been proven that only 3 percent of retail employees are honest as a character trait. Most are honest simply because they know they might get caught.



Likewise, the vast majority of bank tellers are honest only because of the bank security measures they know are in place.



The point is this: We live in a society that is morally bankrupt, trying to live a life guided by it's own rules.

The problem with this is that we are very good at making our own rules, and worse at following  them. (The old parental advise of "Do as I say, not as I do" is a perfect example.

The major issue at hand is  that modern society has determined that there is no God and we are free to do as we please.



Just because the majority of the people agree with a lie does not  make it a truth- IT IS STILL A LIE.



What is driving us back to God is the reality that it is becoming difficult to live on the denial of the faith of others.

Denial leads to disappointment and disillusion. There is no hope in a life of denial.



We can come to the dinner table, stocked with good food, every day and turn our backs in disgust and denial. But only for a time.

Eventually hunger will break our will and cause us to move to acceptance. Our stomachs will affirm what our eyes refuse to accept.



The Spiritual man is the same- We were not created to be negative people.



We must live by the "Yes", the affirmative. And that "Yes" has to be God.



Mark 11.22 (NLT) "Have Faith in God"

Baby Dedication

Probably one of the most enjoyable moments  for pastor's is:

The Baby Dedication:

The Blessed Hope that is the innocence of a child

 The Promise of a family to raise up the child in the way that

they should go

Knowing that it takes more than luck or good 

fortune to raise a child.

IN SEARCH OF GOD

 Last week we looked at the thought of trying to find  peace in world where there seems to be very little of it.

In realizing that true peace can only come from God, we need to begin to accept the fact that God does, in fact exist, and that He has a plan and a way to give us, not just a life of peace, but a life of abundance.

This week, we explore the reason why so many secular, humanistic attempts at world peace and inner peace fall sadly short of the mark.

In Job 10, verses 20-22, Job is in a dire place, as he proclaims,

         "I have only a few days left, so leave me alone, I have only a few days left, so leave me alone, that I may have a moment of comfort..."

         "...It is a land as dark as midnight, a land of gloom and confusion, where even the light is dark as midnight."

Okay, Job is not in a happy place. He has lost  his focus and he has lost perspective.

As our world has tried to eliminate God from the picture, we are left with a world that feels just as Job did.

Eliminate God and our lives become an inane, meaningless attempt of survival, hoping against hope to hold off death for as long as possible.

An artist once said that, "If I can get the sky right, I can get the picture right."

God is our sky, and when our sky isn't right, nothing else fits into place either.

Since the brash declaration that, "God is Dead" by the great philosophers of our time, mankind has yearned for God  to come back.

If God is dead, than there is no hope for humanity, If God is dead than life becomes very difficult, with no end in sight.

But in 1 Corinthians 15, the Apostle Paul writes, "But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died."

That is our blessed hope of a better tomorrow and an eternity found in the peace and rest of God.

God's not dead, He hasn't gone on vacation. We just need to draw near to Him