Sunday, September 14, 2014

HE MADE KNOWN HIS WAYS



Bobservations
by Pastor Bob Lawrenz

    We are presented with yet another Psalm of David in today’s Psalm, and I am left wondering when he found time to write. From his humble beginnings as a shepherd boy tending his father’s flock, to the nation’s King (tending God’s flock), David should inspire us all.

    Within the titles of the Psalms, seventy-three (73) of them are ascribed to David. David was inspired to write. That inspiration is reflected in both the number of them, and the emotional intensity of each one. We know that David was gifted in many ways: with his sling, in music (and therefore in writing lyrics), and in fearless leadership of the nation of Israel.

    David most assuredly found time to learn and practice all his gifts while tending sheep. Along while the sheep grazed, he had plenty of time to mull over in his mind and heart the things he had learned at his father’s knee. And though the sheep would know his voice, they hardly conversed with him more than a BAA here or there.

    Conversing with our heavenly Father would have been a natural choice, but think about the prayer closet he used: a wide-open field with all of God’s Creation surrounding him! It’s with that image in mind that we might begin to understand from where David’s inspiration sprang! We have them collated for us in five sections of the Psalms. And, if Psalm 1 was the first one he wrote, what a spectacular introduction to his writings we have!

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law doth he meditate day and night.” Ps. 1 : 1,2  
  
 With these words, David reveals the priorities in his life. It is then, no wonder that David was as gifted as he was, for he truly had a heart after God!

Lord, help us to follow David’s example. Turn our hearts and minds toward
You and toward Your Word, and lead us to be inspired by what you reveal.















Sunday, September 7, 2014

THE SET TIME IS COME



Bobservations
by Pastor Bob Lawrenz

    Skills and abilities are the tools that God instills in people to accomplish most anything. Those things should evoke a thankfulness within that gives glory to God. But then… then there is that less tangible portion of our successes that comes more from Godly wisdom, than it does from Godly knowledge.

    Timing; timing seems to be vital in so many facets of our lives. Without good timing, nothing goes as we planned.

    I was watching a rerun of “The Rifleman” this past week with Lukas McCane, and his young son, Mark. Integral to this episode was the subject of inventions. In his youthful exuberance, Mark got excited about the prospects of machines in the future, and at the end of the show, he said we might see a day when a machine might even replace the horse for work and transportation. His skeptical Dad, Lukas, gave him a grin, and said, “That would never happen.” The Skeptic vs. the Visionary…

    Inventors are usually visionaries who are ahead of their time, yet their ideas helped to forge dreams into future realities for the benefit of all mankind. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford were these kinds of men. And though their invention does not bear their names, Chester Carlson and John Dessauer’s invention was furthered under the vision of Joseph C. Wilson, and the process of xerography came to the marketplace. Haloid Photographic Company became Haloid-Xerox Company in 1958, and Xerox Corporation was the result in 1961. Four years later, Xerox revenue was over 500 million dollars.  …Timing…

    The difference between a skeptic and a visionary is usually timing and hope. There is a practical application to both, and God is such a Visionary while mankind is often the skeptic. But there are men and women who are filled with the Holy Spirit who can see ahead, and make plans accordingly. The prophets were sent to give a message to Israel from God, and today there are men and women who retain a boldness to still speak God’s Word to us. God’s Word never changes, and as a consequence, His plans for us never veer off track.  
 
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace,
and not of evil, to give you a future, and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)












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