Saturday, January 31, 2015

GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN ME - NOR YOU!



Bobservations
by Pastor Bob Lawrenz
 
    I am always personally touched by news stories of people losing their homes to fire. The event is catastrophic to the family. If the fire didn’t destroy the entire house, then smoke and water damage probably ruined what remained of the house’s contents. If there is anything left in the house that is salvageable, it would have to go through significant restoration to be usable again. The damage from fire, water, and smoke is usually thorough, nonetheless. 

    That’s about the same story that we endure spiritually. “Satan roams about seeking whom he may devour…” is a passage that’s unforgettable. Crisis, turmoil, hatred, can all break down a person’s desire to live. Financial difficulties, bad decisions, and even a bad economy can take their toll on a person’s ability to function day-to-day. Sadness, depression, trauma, and despair can zap a person’s strength, and even their will to live. 

    Today’s Psalm is written in the style of David; finding himself out of sorts, and alone, and separated from any human support system, he finds that God has not forgotten him.   The Psalmist reminds us that we, as Believers, have a secret weapon against the wiles of the devil. We have God, His glorious Son, and His faithful Holy Spirit to pick us up, refocus our thoughts, and to lighten our load, and restore hope.  

    The contents of a house can be replaced. The substance of life, like property, possessions, and family can be turned around again, as it was with Job. God sees every event in our lives as being either glorious, or a teachable moment. That our God, the great Lord God and Creator of heaven and Earth, would take a single thought of us is beyond the human imagination.

    That God is aware of us, and all His children, is a truly humbling, and comforting thought. He knows all that we are going through, and He knows how to deliver us!

Resist the devil “…steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions
are accomplished in your brethren in the world.” -  1 Peter 5:9

We are not alone in our troubles, and we are not alone in our deliverance from them.  Jesus will never leave us, nor forsake us.

Read Psalm 3:1-3










Saturday, January 24, 2015

GAINING WISDOM THROUGH DISCIPLINE



Bobservations
by Pastor Bob Lawrenz

    A long-time Christian friend was gifted with a good business sense. His first business was a tremendous venture, and he was very successful. But as a new Christian, he did not fully grasp the importance of today’s scripture passages. His business partner was not a believer, and lived for the world, for money, and all the things that the Bible warns against. When the partner failed to pay business taxes, and absconded with all the profits, the Lord used all of it in a corrective fashion for this brother-in-Christ.

    Two subsequent businesses took him into a comfortable retirement. And now in retirement, He is a consultant for other young Christian entrepreneurs.     Gleaning from God’s wisdom imparted to him, my friend has seen the pitfalls that present themselves to every business venture, Christian or otherwise. He could bask in the success that the Lord brought to him, but he understands that being gifted freely by Jesus, he desires to freely share what he has learned through trials, and victories, at the feet of the Lord.

    THIS is Christ; this is brotherly love. Spoken in love, the truth is not only encouraging, but it’s also admonishing as wrong thinking is pointed out, along with its poor results.

    We look at 2 Timothy 3:16 (“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness.”), and we clearly understand the personal application of it to our lives. But if we take this same verse, and extend it to our professional lives, and into the business world, will God not also bless there as well?

    My friend had many trials in his first business, including a bankruptcy after its failure. But he was not beaten down, only bruised. He plodded forward and purged his “old” knowledge of business, and built anew.

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted by God.”             -2 Corinthians 1:3, 4

Matthew 10:8 – “…freely ye have received, freely give.




















Saturday, January 17, 2015

RECALLING GOD'S GRACE



Bobservations
by Pastor Bob Lawrenz

MEMORIES…  We all have them; some are good and some are not so good.  The good ones are a joy to remember, and we often tend to think about those good ones when we are going through difficult times. Sadness, and loneliness can provoke them, but God wants to lift us up. 

A couple of decades ago, singer Barbara Streisand sang a song from the Movie, “THE WAY WE WERE”, that became a huge hit: “Memories…light the corners of my mind….” That’s what cherished memories tend to do. They light up the little dark corners of our minds and remind us of good times, better times, and even the best of times. 

Though we cannot relive those moments, the memories encourage and lift us up in hope when things get troublesome in our thoughts. Our daily walk may seem like drudgery and routine. We can then recall mountain-top experiences, and the joy of the Lord that flooded us during those times. And when things are at their absolute worst, we then have the assurance that times will get better in the days ahead, because trials are all temporary. 

Today’s reading from 2 Timothy recalls Paul’s thoughts and words as he encourages young Pastor Timothy. Daunted and nearly overrun by others in the church that were older, Timothy was being frustrated and intimidated in the Ephesus ministry left to him by the Apostle Paul (1 Timothy 1:3, and 4:12). 

God’s reminders are there to occasionally fall back on and cheer us up for the days ahead. The Apostle Paul’s reminders to Timothy were timely for him. The Church in the great City of Ephesus was meant to grow under Timothy’s leadership, but by the end of the first century, it was in trouble again, just a generation or two later (Rev. 2:1-7).  

A man’s ministry is not measured by size, or outreach, or longevity, but by His faithfulness to preach the Word. In a Christ-rejecting world, anyone can be intimidated into silence, but Paul encouraged Timothy because Jesus encouraged Paul: to preach the word, in season and out of season, fearlessly and without apology. Recall for yourself again those moments of God’s glory in your life, and speak of His glory to those who haven’t seen it. The world needs that hope! 
















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