by George | Jan 20, 2021 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
Get Away
“So I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.”
Psalms 55:6
The postman puts the mail in the box. He sees a basketball in the yard. “I bet I could make that three point shot like I used to.” he thinks to him self.
So, he picks up the basketball and makes his best shot. Unfortunately it hits, and breaks a garage door window. The owners of the house frown at the embarrassed postal carrier.
The announcer says, “Wanna get away?”
We laugh at commercials like that, but there’s some truth in them.
Sometimes troubles in life make us want to get in an airplane or just drive somewhere. Anywhere. Just to get away…
David felt this way. He has trouble with his enemies. If that wasn’t bad enough a “friend” betrayed him.
It kind of seems weird that David, the mighty warrior who faced Goliath when he was a youth, would think of fleeing.
Dr. Ryan Cook said: “David’s heart expressed not the courage of the man who had faced down giants but the timidity of a bird.”
It’s a normal human reaction to want to split, but you don’t see David getting on the next plane to Hawaii.
David gives us a remedy.
- Prayer.
“As for me, I will call upon God, And the LORD shall save me.”
- God will hear our prayer. “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice.” Psalms 55:17
- God will carry our burdens, and help us.
. “Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.”
Psalms 55:22
So, when things get tough and we “wanna get away”, but can’t, remember: “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.”
Psalms 46:1
by George | Jan 17, 2021 | Community News
Peace Be Still
“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.”
Mark 4:39
Imagine you are watching the ocean waves crashing into the shore. The waves suddenly get larger, and you can hear the wind howling.
Then, the waves become smaller and smaller. The wind becomes silent and starts to blow gently…
I was really angry about something… My voice became louder as I complained to my co workers standing nearby. One of them said calmly, “Peace, be still.”
I knew exactly why he said that. There was a storm brewing in my life, based on something so important…. that I can’t remember it now…
“Peace be still.” He uttered these words as a prayer that Jesus would calm the storm in my life, just as He calmed the storm long ago.
Jesus had said to His disciples, “Let us cross to the other side.” Mark 4:35
So, their destination was never in doubt, or it shouldn’t have been.
The disciples became frightened in the midst of the storm. They awoke a sleeping Jesus and said “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Mark 4:38
Sometimes we forget that God is leading us to the other shore. We forget that He will never leave us or forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:6)
We tend to put our minds on the storms brewing, and before long we feel a storm brewing inside of us, and our soul becomes like the turbulent waves of the ocean. Waves of fear, anxiety and anger…
But the Master says “Peace be still.”
May the peace of God which passes all understanding fill your soul today. You WILL get to the other shore…
by George | Jan 13, 2021 | Community News, Devotional, Newsletter
Rest and Wait
The calendar has turned to January. A new year has begun. There is a sense of relief that the old year is gone. We have hopes and dreams for this new year.
We have a feeling of restlessness. Shouldn’t we be up and moving towards our new goals? This morning, some are already starting.
We drove by a local gym. There were many cars in the parking lot.
I wasn’t THAT ambitious this morning, but I felt like I should be doing something…
But I would suggest that we need not rush into anything.
Instead, we need a time of rest, renewal and refreshment.
Not just a physical rest, but also a Spiritual one. It’s a good time to pray, and listen for the still small voice of God. It’s a time of waiting.
Here’s some verses for your quiet time with God today. Read over them prayerfully and slowly.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
Psalms 46:10
(Other translations for “Be still” are “quit striving” and “quit fighting.”)
“Commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.”
Psalms 37:5
“Commit your works to the LORD, And your thoughts will be established.”
Proverbs 16:3
“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
Lastly, remember to ALWAYS put God first in your life.
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33
Happy New Year and
Happy Rest in God!
