Fret Saw or Chain Saw?

 Psalm 37:1-7  Those of you who are wood workers will know that a fret saw and a chainsaw are significantly different tools. Yes, they both are saws but their uses are totally different and the outcome of what they do is totally different.  While the small fine toothed fret saw is made for fine precision sawing , the chainsaw loudly and coarsely does it's work.

Psalm 37 begins with the words 'fret not' in a call of how to respond to evil doers. When the KJV was written about 400 years ago, people understood the word fret, while we rarely use it. 'Fret' described the action of the waves of the sea slowly working away at the sea shore, gradually eroding it. It is similar to the small fret saw that slowly cuts it's way through a piece of wood. The gradual erosion of soil by the waves or the wood by the tiny saw can be likened to what may be happening in our lives. Is the enemy  slowly wearing you down? The constant uncertainty and ebb and flow of hope and anxiousness that we experience today can wear us down and work us into a frenzy.

A second word (vs.1) 'envious' means 'to burn with anger'.  The enemy loves to get us so worked up we take our eyes off the Lord.  Take time to reread the passage paying closer attention to vs.3-7 and find a good alternative to fretting.  We need to stay focused on the Lord. "Trust in the Lord...."

Pastor Paul

The Duck on the Post

 Philippians 1:19-26  Paul's confidence is tremendous.  From his vantage point there would be only one of two outcomes from his imprisonment. Either freedom with Christ in heaven or by being set free prison.  Either way he would not lose. He saw heaven as the best alternative- 'to be with Christ is far better.'  Yet he saw the spiritual need of those he wrote to. There were areas that they lacked spiritually. Consequently, he wrestled with what his choice would be if he had any say in the matter.

Paul counts on his deliverance  (the word used here is the same one used elsewhere for physical healing, rescue form danger or death, salvation, justification, sanctification, and glorification) to be brought about by the combined desire of believers in prayer, the Holy Spirit and his hope in Christ. An important consideration here is that he did not confine God's directive in his life to only one course. 'Hard-pressed' (v.23) describes the struggle in his mind about which would be better.  Freedom could come either in death or by being physically loosed from his chains. As the 'Spirit of Truth', the Holy Spirit teaches our minds and intercedes on our behalf before the Father.  

Paul did not try to confine God to his (Paul's) personal will. His view the situation allowed for God's will to be done in his life. This kept him from disappointment and freed him from worry. How often do our prayers end in disappointment because we come to God not allowing for the latitude He would like?  Perhaps there is a good lessen here for us as well.

Pastor Paul

Imprisonment = Advancement?

 Philippians 1:12-18 It doesn't take a mathematician to tell you that, mathematically, a negative does not end in a positive.  But Paul sees what would normally be considered a negative as something very positive. His imprisonment served to advance the gospel. Being chained to a rotating group of guards gave him a captive audience, so to speak.

We are living in a time where we feel imprisoned or chained as well.  Can this time serve to advance the gospel? I believe it can. First of all take time to draw near to God. James 4:8-10 challenges us to take time to humble ourselves before the Lord and in due time he will exalt us.

Second, take advantage of the fact we are allowed a person or two in our lives to walk with. Those times can be very spiritually fruitful.  Remember, the apostle felt that being chained to a soldier night and day was very beneficial. Perhaps we should examine our thought about making disciples or being discipled. One on one is good. Let me know if you would like to be a part of either side of this equation. 

Pastor Paul

Reminiscing in Prayer

Philippians 1:1-11 Sometimes we wonder what we should pray about, or how we should pray. Without  minimizing Paul's prayer life, it seems it was helpful for him to pray effectively by reminiscing about the those he prayed for. He intentionally thought of the ones he was praying for.  Those memories gave him reason to be thankful and also helped formulate what he would ask God for. In this case, he was thankful for their partnership in the gospel (monetary, etc.), the work of God in their lives, and that they also had received grace. This prompted him to ask God for things that either they lacked or he desired for them- abounding love, knowledge about God, discernment (for godly responses noted by their outcome, described by the words excellent, pure, and blameless), leading to his ultimate desire, that they would be known by their consistent godly life (the fruit of righteousness).

Perhaps our prayer life would be enhanced if we first of all reminisced with God about the person's existing spiritual qualities, giving thanks for who they we are, then asked for God's appropriate work on their behalf.  

Pastor Paul

The Passover

 Exodus 12:1-14  Sunday is once again Communion Sunday.  The Passover is analogous of Jesus' sacrificial death.  As such we do well to look at its origins as a means of reminder. Some things to consider are:

• (2) It served as a reminder of new life- It was the beginning of their calendar year, they left Egypt for a new life.
• (3,4) sacrifice, the shedding of blood is required for salvation- the blood was necessary for protection.
• (6)the lamb must have specific qualities, and be separated- represents being without sin, holy, pure.
• (7-11) it was made possible by substitution - a life for a life. Eating the lamb reminded them they could not beat the destroyer without the death of another in their place.
• (7,13) it required faith, and obedience- faith because blood doesn't form a physical barrier, there is no logical reason for it to work, obedience because without it there is no second chance.

 There is no second chance for salvation. It is only offered to us while we live, and is received by faith. The Lord's supper or communion is not a reminder of Passover, but a reminder of Jesus' giving his life for ours, dying in our place. As the Passover required obedience and faith, so salvation does.

Fatal Twists

 2 Peter 3:15-17  Besides the fear of the bull, a bull rider's knowledge of the bull and his ability to feel the bull's movements help him stay on for a long 8 seconds! Many bulls are known for the twists that are part of their routine as they try to unload their rider leaving him in a pile of dust. Equally feared are the possibility of being trampled or run down by the angry beast.

Peter warned about twisting scripture which results in destruction.  From the text we see that the writings of Paul were considered scripture along with the OT very early in the NT church history. And if you think it is hard to understand Paul's line of thought, that's nothing new.  

When we study scripture we must always interpret what it is saying in the light of the context. What do the verses before and after it say and how does that effect its interpretation? Another important aspect is the use of the key words in the passage as compared to the rest of the book. It is also helpful to read the same passage a number of times, even in different translations if they are available. Last and definitely not least, before you begin, ask the Lord to open your eyes to the word. And if you need, get help from another person.

Have a great day, Pastor Paul