DEVOTION, Nov. 9, God is good

The Lord is good to all, and His compassion is over all that He has made (Psalm 145:9).

Life can be so uncertain. We certainly have learned that during the Coronavirus pandemic. Many other life issues can cause us confusion and despair. The Psalmist gives us a principle we can count on in perpetuity. The God who created us is good to all. He looks upon us with compassion. While it is true that God also brings judgment upon sin when we humans rebel against His will, when that occurs, He is acting with compassion. He is telling us that rebellion against Him is a losing proposition. Out of love, He will not allow us to stray from His will without reminding us that such behavior is harmful to us. His judgment is meant[B1]  to lead us to repentance.  In love, He warns us of the horrible consequences that come to those whose rejection of Him continues without repentance.  God never acts apart from compassion. Amid uncertainty, we can always depend upon our God. We can count on the fact that He is always working for our good. When our hearts settle in on that fact, it gives us a sense of peace. The more we seek to align ourselves with God’s good will, the greater will be our sense of peace. If we choose to scorn the will of God, He will lovingly bring chastisement into our lives.

Gracious heavenly Father, I am so thankful that I can depend upon Your goodness. Help me to live my life in harmony with Your will. Help me to know when I have strayed from Your goodness so that I may repent and return to You. Thank you for revealing Your love so profoundly in the person and work of Your Son. In His name, I pray, Amen.

*Apologies for the delay in posting.

Sunday was a bittersweet day. We were saddened to say farewell to Jack and Nancy Salyer on their final Sunday with us. They are moving to Oak Grove. In spite of our sadness, we also are happy for them as they will be living closer to family. Thank you, Jack and Nancy, for your many years of faithful service to our church.

Tomorrow (Tuesday) the men meet at 8 AM. Remember also to vote! The women’s group meets Wednesday at 9:30.
Bible study is on Wednesday at 3:30. We continue our study of what it means to be a faithful disciple of Jesus.

Sunday’s sermon will focus on John 15:1-8 where Jesus spoke of Himself as the true vine and we as branches attached to Him. This will end the current series on the Gospel of John.

Have a fantastic week! You will if you trust and obey Jesus. Pastor Bowman

DEVOTION, from Marie

2 Chronicles 7:14 

If my people called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins.

One hundred fourteen times, the word prayer is mentioned in the Bible, between the Old and New Testaments. We find instructions on how to pray in Matthew. From the Old Testament, the verse above tells us to be humble and turn from sin, and you will be forgiven. Simple enough, right? For many, the most often heard statement is, “I don’t know how to pray.” You are not asked to be mini preachers to give your hearts and problems to God. No matter how small or sizeable your issue is, God listens. He hears me ask for help to find my sunglasses, and he hears my concerns for a church member. He knows I am talking to a good friend through His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Heavenly Father, let us imagine you sitting with us and listening as we share our thanks and our concerns with You, our friend, We are all sinners, and we trust you will forgive us when we admit our shortcomings. We need to remember to talk to you in all we do and imagine that you are sitting with us aways for a one-on-one conversation. We can pray for a deeper understanding of what prayer is—talking to a good friend. In Jesus name, Amen.

Although our sins testify against us, do something, Lord, for the sake of Your name (Jeremiah 14:7, NIV).

We are made aware of three things in this verse —first, our sins. Second, a plea. And finally, a reason. Jeremiah is aware of the human predicament. We have sinned against God. God declared early on that sin leads to eternal death. We are in a big mess since we have all sinned against God! After stating the problem, Jeremiah pleas with God to do something. He knows there is nothing we can do to solve our sin problem. He realizes that if our situation is to be resolved, God must act. God must figure out a way to be true to His word, which means He must punish sin and find a way to redeem lost humanity. Did Jeremiah know what God planned to do? Later in his prophecy, he wrote of a New Covenant that was coming.

But why should God have to solve a problem we created? Jeremiah says, “for your name’s sake.” If God cannot solve this dilemma, His reputation will suffer. If God is confronted with a problem He cannot solve, is He really God? God did save His reputation and indeed magnified it under the New Covenant. He became incarnate in the person of His Son. Jesus solved the sin problem by taking the punishment we deserve. He solved the salvation problem by offering freely to forgive those who trust in Him. We are so familiar with this story we don’ realize how amazing it is that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19). Jeremiah pleaded, “Do something, Lord.” And God did something.

Father in heaven, I remain amazed by Your love. You could have justly condemned me to hell, but You sent Your Son to redeem me. You did something truly amazing to bring sinners into Your Kingdom without sacrificing Your Justice or Your mercy. Justice and mercy met at the cross. Thank You, Jesus, for all You endured to be my Savior. Amen.