Ebenezer Congregational

                Church

All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. For the kingdom is the Lord’s: and he is the governor among the nations.

Psalm 22: 27-28

May 6th is The National Day of Prayer. My hope is that many of the people of this nation will be on their knees that day. Entering into their prayer closets or gathering with others in a sign of solidarity matters little. What is important, is that we pray. And that we pray everyday over our country in which we live.

The Psalm referenced here, is one born out of distress in King David. It begins with “My God My God, why hast thou forsaken me”, the very words of Jesus on the cross. The psalmist is declaring how terribly wrong things seem within the country. We too look around and see our nation in decay. Some of what we read in the news can be so concerning that it may cause us to think that all is lost. In that state of mind, the temptation is to think that man has the ability with in himself to determine the fate of the nation. I am thankful for the opportunities we have to participate in the decisions that are made, through voicing our thoughts and convictions and voting for representation. We should be active in these things. However, we must recognize the Lord is ruler of the nations! We must be in communion with Him. He alone raises and puts down nations.

I want to encourage you in these unsettling times, be in prayer. Praise Him and seek His will. Let Him know you are trusting in His sovereign reign. In so doing, you will find rest even if the storm winds howl. It is in hearing His voice that we find comfort. Pray.

In Christ Alone, Pastor David

Behold the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.

Amos 8. 11

The month of March is ending with no promise of rain for our dry land. Perhaps our grandparents will be right, that 90 days from fog we will have moisture. The weather patterns do seem upset, and the Lord said they would be as His return is coming soon. We get used to things going as usual until they don’t!

Jesus said “ man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (Mt. 4.4) He was quoting Deuteronomy 8.3. The context then, was that God was humbling his people.

Amos was a prophet of the Lord and also a herdsman of Tekoa. He knew how necessary rain was for grass to feed his cattle. Many ranchers today are nervous about the lack of snow this last winter and the prospect of a dry spring, and understandingly so. The question however is. Does the thought of a famine for the Word of God make you squirm? It should, but sadly many don’t spend anytime growing in it while it is available.

If Jesus is right, and he is. We are parched and hungry spiritually when we don’t dine on his Word, when we don’t drink it in. The fullness of the Christian life is realized when we are being fed. We grow stronger and find a transformation taking place in the renewing of our minds. Because His word is eternal, we should seek to devour it on a daily basis. You will find the more you eat and drink it in, the more you will have an appetite and the more satisfied you will be.

In Christ Alone, Pastor David

Behold the Lion of the Tribe of Judah

Revelation 5.5

This year, Palm Sunday falls in March. Resurrection Sunday, and the celebration of a risen King will be earlier than many years. As I think of Palm Sunday, I think of the crowds anticipation of a victorious Kings arrival. A jubilant celebration of crying “hosanna” and how they were looking for one who would save them from their enemies and rule the nation. Sadly, many of these same people would cry out for his crucifixion mere hours later.

There is a saying applied to the month of March, “in like a lion, out like a lamb”. Although the origin of this statement is uncertain, it is applied to typical weather patterns. The month often starts in harsh winter and ends in milder spring type weather. This is the opposite, when we meet with Jesus. First, he is the savior who dies to save. Then he lives as a king to reign. Many times we think, live then die, but Christ died in order to live. Make no mistake, a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone; but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit, John 12. 24.

John was weeping on the isle of Patmos because there was no one worthy to open the book that was sealed. He was told to look at the Lion of the tribe of Judah. The next verse tells us he looked and beheld, “the lamb who had been slain.”

This duplicity in Christ must be true for each of us. Our understanding of Him must be complete, you can’t have one without the other. And it must be in the right order. First, Jesus must be the Lamb of God, slain for you. Then, he is to reign in your heart as your King. He is the All in All!!

In Christ Alone, Pastor David

He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

1 John 4.8

As we look into the second month of the year, no doubt we consider the 14th as being Valentines Day. And as we do, our thoughts turn to love and those we love. The very thought that it takes a special day to make us stop and focus on this, shows how inconsistent we are at love. Even though the topic of love is talked about continually and it seems to be a driving force as people desperately try to find it. Still it eludes many, leaving the vast majority yet longing to be loved. You may remember the lyric that states, “what the world needs now is love sweet love, it’s the only thing that there’s just to little of.” The author is expressing frustration, for he or she has been looking and not finding. Another old song states, “looking for love in all the wrong places.” This writer is in a better place. He recognizes the problem is not a lack of love, but a misdirecting in finding it.

As a born again Christ follower, I have found love. When Christ hung on the cross for me, he drew me to him. There I found love. There I recognized that true love in the form of one who would actively, conscientiously and unconditionally give himself for me. God is love!

Perhaps this Valentines Day, rather than just express our love for others, we point them to the one who is love and to the cross where they might experience the love of God that quenches all their longings.

In Christ Alone, Pastor David