From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – March 3rd devotional

We read in the letter James wrote, as recorded in the Bible, “Faith without works is dead.”

This may cause people confusion for we also read (in Ephesians 2:8-9), “For by grace you have been saved through faith’ and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The answer is that there is the presence of faith but not faith alone; faith is to have effect, it is to produce righteousness, it is not idling waiting for a reward from God, it results in good fruit.

We read further in Ephesians (2:10), “For we are His (i.e. God’s) workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

Now, it must be admitted no one can do everything and no one ought to try to.  But there are some things, good works in Christ, that everyone can accomplish. 

For example (Proverbs 25:11), “Like apples of gold in setting of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.”

Another example would be from Jesus, when speaking about being merciful (Matthew 25:37-40):  “When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?  When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’  The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

We’re all part of the same humanity.  In the eyes of God there is no difference and no distinction between people for we are all made in the image of God.

One of Mother Teresa's favorite texts in the Bible, which she often quoted to support her ministry to the poor, is, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of Mine, you did for Me."

We can make many excuses why we will not extend mercy to another, and rationalize away our inaction and lack of good works in the name of Christ.  But it all amounts to nothing.  Lord Jesus calls us to be a people of mercy.  The darker the day the greater the need for the light of Christ.

Pastor Allan 

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – January 13th Devotional

Today, let's pray the words of Scripture together: John 14, excerpts

“I am not troubled or afraid. I believe in God and I trust in Jesus. There are many rooms in our Father’s house and Jesus is preparing a place for me. If this were not so, He would have told me plainly. When everything is ready, He will come and get me so that I will always be where He is. And I know where He’s going and how to get there.

Jesus,

If I love you, I will keep Your commandments. And You will ask the Father to give me another Counsellor who will never leave me. He is the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth. I know Him because He is with me, and lives in me. No, Jesus, You will not abandon me as an orphan. You will come to me. I obey Your commandments because I love You. And because I love You, Your Father loves me and You love me, Jesus, and You make Your home with me, and You reveal Yourself to me.

You are leaving me with a gift – peace of mind and heart. And the peace you give isn’t like the peace the world gives, so I won’t be troubled or afraid. When the prince of this world approaches, he has no power over me. I will do as our Heavenly Father commands so that the world may know that I love You.

John 15 (excerpts)

“Your commandment is that we love one another as You have loved us. We are your friends if we do what You command us. You no longer call us servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but You have called us friends, for all that You have heard from Your Father You have made known to us.  We did not choose You, but You chose us and appointed us to go and bear fruit and that our fruit should abide, so that whatever we ask the Father in Your name, He may give it to us. But when the Helper comes, whom You will send to us from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about You. And we will also bear witness about you.

John 16

You have said these things to me, that in You I may have peace. In the world I will have tribulation. But I take heart; You have overcome the world.”

Amen. 

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – January 6th devotional

Criticism:

Winston Churchill was attending an official ceremony in London.  Two men behind him recognized him and began to whisper behind his back.

“They say Churchill’s quite senile now,” said the one.

“Yes, they say he’s doing England more harm than good,” replied the other.

“They say he should step aside and leave the running of this government to younger, more dynamic people,” continued the first man.

Churchill turned and in a loud voice said, “They also say he’s quite deaf.” 

Every morning on the way to school two kids and their mother would pray.  When the young boy was asked if he wanted to pray, he promptly replied, “God, please help Sissy not to suck her thumb.”

To which Sissy quickly added, “And, God, please help my brother to stop reminding me.” 

Two passages of scripture come to mind:

James 3:5-6:  “How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!  And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness.  The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entre course of life, and set on fire by hell.”

Matthew 7:1:  “Judge not, that you not be judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will. Be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.”

This passage from the Bible is also applicable:

James 3:10:  “From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.  My brothers these things ought not to be so.” 

Pastor Allan  

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – January 4th Devotional

There is a word that gets a great deal of usage these days, the word ‘blessing’. It is used in Christian and secular circles, often and freely. We sometimes use it to end our letters and emails, the new ‘sincerely’, or ‘yours truly’. 

In the secular world, it has several connotations: generally, meaning to give assent to something, as in this example, “The whole group gave the plan their blessing.” It can also be used this way: “It was a blessing that he came along at that exact time.” Further, it can be a synonym for a prayer recited before or after a meal. 

But when it comes to Christian circles, it takes on a decidedly deeper significance. 

Firstly, we acknowledge that there is a Source of blessing. 

Galatians 1:3: “May peace and blessing be yours from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.”

For those who love to do word searches, the Bible uses the word blessing around 230 times, depending which translation you are using, and of course, a study of these would give a well-rounded understanding of the word. But for today, we take the words of the apostle Paul:

1 Corinthians 1:7: “Now you have every grace and blessing; every spiritual gift and power for doing his will are yours during this time of waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Such a rich word!

The next time you send a note, signed with ‘blessings’ before your name, know that you are in great company, because the letters in the New Testament often began and/or ended with the writer saying, in effect, ‘Blessings’. 

May God our Father shower you with blessings and fill you with his great peace. Col. 1:2

May blessing and peace of heart be your rich gifts from God our Father and from Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Thess. 1:1

God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God’s many kinds of blessings. 1 Peter 4:10

At the beginning of this New Year, as we think of each one of you with much love and appreciation, let me just sign off with,

“Blessings!”

Angela

November 24th           Rejoice in the Lord 

        It has been quite the week; quite the year.  Covid, heat dome, wild fires, floods.  Christians and non-Christians alike have faced unprecedented trauma.  Prayers have gone up and lives have been saved, some lives have been lost, farms have been saved and some washed away, a city obliterated and other cities seriously compromised.  In parts of British Columbia it has been a total disaster while in other parts life has gone on as before.  Where is God when it hurts and disaster strikes; is there a God who cares about us; how are we going to manage to get through the most recent natural calamity? 

        Rick Warren, from Saddleback Church in California, has written and spoken about navigating in constant chaos.  This easily applies across the board within our families, schools and churches, communities, and society nationally as well as internationally.  How do we manage to navigate when all around we have constant chaos? 

        We can learn from the experience of the Christians of Philippi. 

        Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians while being imprisoned in Rome, under house arrest.  He was in lockdown.  It was not an easy time for him; quite the opposite.  And yet he had joy and considered it his great privilege to continue to tell others about Jesus as they came to visit him, even though he wasn’t able to go out and visit others.  

        The city of Philippi was a prosperous Roman colony, inhabited by citizens of Rome who dressed like Romans and spoke Latin.  It was hard to be different during those days, to be Christian in a non-Christian society.  The easiest thing to do would have been to conform to the customs and behaviour of one’s neighbours but what would that have done to one’s Christian faith? 

        There were not many Jewish people in Philippi, not even enough to permit the establishment of a synagogue.  The worship by and large, therefore, would have been of Roman pagan gods. 

        Among the general population were those who could be called the “rule keepers”; in this case the legalists who sought to follow the rules, make up new rules to suit their own purposes, and force others to comply with the rules.  On the other hand there were the libertines, those who valued personal liberty over and above the good of the other; you could call them the “eat, drink, and be merry crowd for tomorrow we die” people who had little concern about things apart from how it affected them. 

        Into this mix, this chaos of competing interests, the Christians were thrown, probably wondering whether they should be more ruled based on the one hand or more freedom fighters on the other. 

        Because the Christians were different from others and had a different world view, they were persecuted.  It is never easy being a person of Christian faith in a world gone mad that is rushing from one extreme to another.  The Christians of long ago were easy scapegoats for all that was wrong around them, an outlet for the anger and frustration being experienced by many. 

        There is a famous picture of people stuck in the mud, struggling to get free, being sucked down and deeper into it, while at the same time reaching up to the heavens, with hope in their eyes, trying with all their might to escape what is pulling them down to death and seeking upwards to what gives life.  This is the sort of situation for the Philippian Christians and what we find ourselves in.

STAND FIRM – LIVE PEACEFULLY 

        In the midst of the present chaos, the Philippian believers were told to stand firm in their faith.  Their faith in Christ meant trusting and believing in Him and also living it out. It is hard to carry on when all around things seem to be deteriorating.  How to have hope in a hopeless world is the challenge.

        We hear quite a lot about this or that event being one in a hundred years or even one in a thousand years.  As many have pointed out, this extremely rare disaster loses its meaning when it is being touted out time and again.  Soon people get the idea and thought that this is not such a rare event after all. 

        The Philippian believers were going through trials and tribulation which up to then was unknown to them.  However, others had gone through similar and even worse and there would be those who would yet experience the worst that the world could throw at them. 

        Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation but I have overcome the world.” 

        Having trouble and tribulation is not something new and novel.  It involves every life and at every turn there might be what is pleasing and also the possibility of facing what is terrible.  Paul’s advice was simple:  remember who you are in the sight of God and who you are with each other.  You are the beloved.  Now act like it. 

        Paul commented about two people in the church who weren’t getting along.  Maybe they were still talking to each other and maybe not but either way there was discord and everyone knew about it. 

        They were to remember who they were and others were to treat them accordingly.  They were God’s beloved.  Since they were God’s beloved, they ought to treat each other with care, kindness, and love. 

        When we meet people who have a long standing disagreement, because of differences of judgment, thoughts, and personality, we too have an obligation to do the right thing.  We’re asked, we’re commanded, to help people to get along; which of course first requires that we get along with those we don’t agree with.  We’re obliged to see each other through the eyes of Christ and not through our own myopic vision and mistaken understanding. 

        There was a row of Christians at a meeting who were discussing what they should do.  There was in their church two who were not speaking to each other.  The suggestion was the two probably at one time got along alright but for some reason they had had a falling out.  One in the row asked the others how they might help the two.  How could they help the two to get along again, to speak kindly one to the other? 

        Maybe there is someone in the church you would rather avoid.  For some reason you or they have had a falling out.  Now a certain bitterness has set in.  How can that be rectified?  How can you get along as Christians ought to? 

        It’s not just a matter of getting along because we’re all part of the human race.  It’s a matter of getting along because of the gospel of Christ.  Others are watching and affected by our love one for the other or the lack of it.  Better to be wronged than to sully the name of our Lord.  Better to lose and to have Christ win over us and others to His way of being and doing. 

        When we allow ourselves the right to be high and mighty, proud in our own eyes, God is not amused and we will not be filled with the joy of the Lord.  Bitterness and joy cannot exist side by side for either one will dominate or the other will.  

        Don’t give the root of bitterness the opening to ruin your witness for Christ and don’t let the root of bitterness ruin the joy of the Lord others are searching for desperately. 

        When all is said and done, in Christ we are in the book of life.  At the end, upon the final transaction and testimony, is your name written in the book of life?  Is the name of the one you are having outs with written in the book of life?  That is what counts and not whether you are in the right and justified.

        We notice Paul did not take sides.  It wasn’t a matter of an endless discussion about being correct and who had been wronged.  It was a matter of seeing people as those for whom Christ died.  The issue became unimportant, moot.  What counted was the fact the two were among those whom Christ loved and loves. 

        Stand firm in the Lord.  Live peacefully with others, especially with those who make up the body of Christ.  Help others to do the same.  Whatever is in your power to do, and more is present than you can imagine, bring peace and as you do there will be joy; surprising, irresistible joy. 

        Are we part of the problem or are we, with God’s help, part of the solution?  Allow the love of Christ to prevail. 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice!  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.  The Lord is near.”

JOY AND PEACE INSTEAD OF ANXIETY 

        We’re told to be anxious for nothing.  This is easier said than done. 

        Our natural selves are wired to be fearful.  We fear many things and even may fear other people.  So much and so many get in our way; so much and so many disturb us; we wonder what will be next; we look over our shoulders, down the street, and across the horizon fearful that the worst is yet to come. 

        It is then that we can and ought to look up to the Lord.  While we are sinking in the mud of the mess we find ourselves and our environment in, we can and ought to look to God who saves us, who preserves our being, and who has promised never to leave us nor forsake us.   

        We’re not on our own.  The Lord is with us.  As we read in the letter to the Philippian Christians, “The Lord is near.” 

        “Thank You, God, for being with us and caring about us.  Thank You for directing our paths as we make our way through the wickedness, darkness, and dismay we find around.  We look to You, God, to lift our spirits even as we look to You to help us navigate day by day and event by event.  And when this life of ours is over, God, we trust You are yet with us and we know You are, making a way for us from this life to the next one with Jesus our Lord.” 

Looking for answers, you need a way out
You've been trapped in that trial full of sorrow and doubt
You saw a trickle of sunlight but you found no escape
Just hold on to His promises, He said He'd make a way

He'll make a way in the middle of nowhere
When it seems no one really cares He is there by your side
He'll make a way when you feel Satan close in
He'll make a way right on time 

Standing at the Red Sea, no place to go
Pharaoh's army was closing in, they'd soon overthrow
But right out of nowhere came a might strong hand
He rolled back the water, He made a way out again Words and Music by Gerald Crabb 

        We pray and when we do it is not as a formula, speaking by rote, but a deep devotion and trust.  There are matters that are too deep for us to understand.  Thus we pray.  “Cast all of your anxiety on God for He cares for you.”

        “Now what, Lord?  Where do I turn?  What am I supposed to do? Help me not to try in my own strength, just to follow Your lead and trust in Your strength, doing as I ought to by applying your gift of ability and depending on You for what I cannot do.  Help me God to be open to the leading of Your Spirit; make me humble enough to allow others in to be Your helpers for me even as I am equipped by You God to be a helper to them.” 

        Peace, perfect peace, this is what we crave.  We need the peace of Christ during these turbulent, difficult days. 

        It is of note that the answer to petitions and thanksgiving to God is the gift of His peace.  We’re not told how the prayers will be answered.  We’re not given the expectation that all will be well from a world and worldly point of view.  We’re told we’ll be given the peace of God that passes all understanding, which will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

        When all around there are those who are losing their peace, wracked with anxiety, we turn to God to give us His peace once more.  In Christ we have peace that no one and nothing can understand but which we can have for ourselves.  Even though there is much to be troubled over, worried about, anxious in, Christ comes to let us know He is with us. 

        Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled nor let it be fearful.” 

        Psalm 27:  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? . . . In the day of trouble, He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock . . . Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.” 

        Our vision and prayer is for peace and not prosperity, peace and not anxiety, peace and not disagreement.  Our vision and prayer comes with requests and thanks to God, which results in His peace that passes all comprehension.  Praise the Lord for the peace of Christ which is ours to have and to share. 

A person of faith in Christ was eager to grow in his Christian life.  He got a piece of paper and made a list of all the things he would do for God.  He wrote down the things he would give up, the places he would go to minister, and the areas of ministry he would enter.  He was excited.  He took that list to the church and put it on the communion table.

He thought he would feel joy, but instead he felt empty.  So he went home and started adding to his list.  He wrote down more things he would do and wouldn’t do.  He took the longer list and put it on the communion table, but still he felt nothing.

He went to his pastor, told him the situation, and asked for help. The pastor said, “Take a blank sheet of paper.  Sign your name at the bottom.  Put that on the communion table.”  

The Christian did; then peace came to his heart, and he experienced the joy of the Lord. 

CONCLUSION

        “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  I can even have joy when it is not found elsewhere. The Lord is my light.  He is my salvation.  He is my defense.  As the world twists and turns, sometimes spinning right out of control, the Lord is with me and His peace will not leave me.  For I am His and He is mine.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”

Pastor Allan  

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – November 18th Devotional

Recently we were in a small shopping centre where the parking area seems way too small for the number of stores, with only one exit to the street. When it came time to leave, the line-up of cars also wanting to leave was so long it snaked around the entire lot! We realized pretty quickly that we were going to have to be a bit ‘assertive’ to break in, boxed in as we were in our aisle and so prevented from going to the end of the line. 

After waiting for some time, we saw a slight opening and pushed forward to slip into the line, only to see the next car accelerate to close the gap, preventing us from joining the queue. Not only that, but the driver, a man of a certain age, angrily mouthed some words at us from a enraged face as he moved past. Now, we couldn’t back up because of the cars behind us, and we couldn’t advance – until the young woman who was next in the line motioned, with a sweet smile, for us to go in front of her. 

Two different perspectives, two people. The over-the-top reaction of the first person astonished us, and the kind attitude of the second person delighted us, and made our day.

It caused me to think: which one of those people am I? Which of those personality traits do I, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is full of grace and mercy, emulate?

Each day, we have a fresh opportunity to shine the love of Jesus as we go about our day. One would think it’s a given that we are always the one to defer to the other, to go the extra mile, to think of others before ourselves. Ouch. It’s not always the case, is it?

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” Philippians 2:3-5

It’s not wrong to be concerned about our own lives, our own needs and interests, as this verse shows us, yet we are to be equally concerned about others. It’s not always easy, but it’s always good.

“To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me

In every thought and deed, this is my aim, my creed.

To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me

His Spirit helping me, like Him I’ll be.”  John Gowans

Of course, we all have different personalities, yet we can allow our thoughts and actions to be influenced by what we know of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Angela   

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – November 16th Devotional

“9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:9-15

As I was reading through this chapter of Romans this morning, this passage in particular spoke to my spirit. These are days of great emotional turmoil for many in our province of BC this morning. Parts of our own communities are greatly affected by the storm of the last few days. Homes are flooded and rendered unlivable. Toppled trees have crashed houses, cars, streets. Roads are washed away, stranding many and cutting off entire neighbourhoods. Highways are closed due to floods and damage.

For nearly two years the news has led with stories of this virus, punctuated here and there by elections, military coups, scandals…and the list could go on. This morning, in BC at any rate, it’s not the lead story. Instead, the tragedy affecting so many of our neighbours is front and centre. There is much weeping and despair.

And we wonder, where is all this taking us, and when will it all end?

What does this mean for those of us whose homes are warm and dry, whose lives are not directly affected by this disastrous situation? Only God can impress upon each of us what we are able to do physically to help our neighbour’s pain, especially as we remember Jesus’ description of our neighbour as being anyone who needs our help.

Weep with those who weep. Be constant in prayer.

We are called to feel each other’s pain. Weeping with those who weep might not mean the physical act of weeping so much as trying to put ourselves in their shoes so that we, as the unaffected ones, might lend them our strength in whatever ways we can.

And we pray.

Angela 

Sunday, October 31st, 2021 MARK 10:17-31  

A MAN OF MEANS MEETS THE MASTER

        We have our heroes, people we aspire to be or at least to be like; possibly someone strong and athletic, or someone people fawn over and gawk after, or someone close to your ideal person.  It could be that we aspire after the rich, to have what they have, to accomplish what they can with their wealth, the security of knowing we have enough and more than enough.

        Proverbs has some comments to make about desiring to be rich:  (Proverbs 23:1-7) “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite.  Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.  Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.  When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.  Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.  “Eat and drink!’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.  You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.”

        The rich young ruler was fascinating, not uncommon for any of us to meet.  He was charming.  He was a clean cut sort of person, humble enough to come to Jesus to learn from Him, courageous and bold enough to seek even as he thought he probably had all there was to have and was all there was to be, and prominent in society being well thought of by others.

        He possessed character, occupied a place of worldly position, was courteous, showed reverence, had ambition, and wielded wealth.  We know he was wealthy, and it is this that Jesus addressed.  All of the rich young ruler’s qualities were eventually measured in what he thought of his monetary standing, how he depended on his wealth and would not let it go, how having much got in the way of his having the most and the best God had to give.  He came to Jesus thinking he might add to his arsenal of character, goods, and security and left much worse off for he was left with himself and what he had gained but lost having Jesus.

A new Christian worker was assigned a car that wouldn’t start without a push.  After pondering the problem, he came up with a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of the class, and had them push his car off.

As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running.  He used this tactic for two years until an illness caused him and his family to leave.  When his replacement came, he explained the car situation to the new worker.

As he talked about how creative his plan was to run the car, the yet new Christian worker popped the hood and was looking at the engine as the other one spoke.  Before the other one finished, he said to him, “Hey, I see a loose cable here.”  He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, turned the key, and to the other’s surprise, the engine roared to life.

For two years he’d come up with a routine that was totally unnecessary.  The power had been there all the time.  But a loose connection had kept him from being able to put that power to work.

There was a rich young man who was trying to come up with a plan of how to live his life in a way that would be pleasing to God.  It was an admirable desire.  But there was a loose cable in his relationship with God.  Instead of fixing the cable, he came up with a routine that left the power of God out of his life altogether.

A man of means meets the Master and realizes that the Master loves him.

        We’ve been told innumerable times that there are basic needs for everyone; not many needs that must be met but core needs that we cry out internally and externally for.  In addition to food, water, and air, we all have the basic need to be loved.

        A person can have an abundance of everything but if there is not love then life is terrible, completely unsatisfactory.

        Often people feel unloved, and the rich are no different.  We read that Jesus, looking at the rich young ruler, loved him.

        It is said if you love someone they will go through “hell” for you.  Jesus literally went through hell, not condemned to be there but He went there, the place of the dead, preaching to those who died in the days of Noah, leading captives to freedom.  Jesus went through the “hell” of the cross for us, He suffered for us, died for us, took our place, with His stripes we are healed, leading us from the captivity of sin to freedom of the Spirit.

        (Ephessians 5:2):  “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.”

        It is not that Christ loved us because we are lovely, have wonderful characteristics, and have much to give to Him.  Christ loves us because God first loved us before we loved Him; He sent Jesus; God came to be with us.

        “In this is love, not that we first loved God but that God first loved us.”

        The response of the man of means was not what would be expected.  Instead of responding favourably to the love of Christ he turned away from it.

        Jesus loves what we would call the good and the bad, and which one of us is really good for only God is good.  Nonetheless, Jesus loves us. 

This weekend many will be watching the World Series televised from Atlanta, Georgia.  People will be on the edge of their seats cheering either for the Atlanta Braves or the Houston Astros.

What was and is much more profound happened years ago when a large Atlanta church, which was televising the service, had a retired 92 year minister preach from its pulpit.  There was a warm welcome as he was introduced and, as the applause quieted down, the old man rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort to the podium.

Without a note or written paper of any kind, he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak.

"When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your preacher asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson I ever learned in my 50 odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials.  The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heart break and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me.  The only thing that would comfort was this verse:  "Jesus loves me.” 

What is truly profound for you and me is not the ability of star baseball players, with their enormous salaries, playing to the crowds but the poor prophet of Nazareth who loved us and loves us whether we are on the winning or losing side of this earthly journey. “Yes, Jesus loves me.”

A man of means meets the Master and knows something is lacking in his life.

        The rich young ruler had many fine characteristics and possessed many fine things, but something was lacking in his life. 

        He agreed to the demands of the law of religion, which in and of itself was admirable.  He did not murder, did not commit adultery, did not steal, did not bear false witness, did not defraud, honoured his father and mother.  From a young age he was careful to abide by these rules, good rules, but yet he wondered what he lacked.

        There is this sense that we are incomplete; that we have done as we have been told; that we have been the best we can be even if there has been missteps and mistakes.  We have endeavoured to be good citizens, good to others, expressing high morals and worthy ethics.

        As we come to Jesus, we admit this, knowing with Him there is forgiveness and strength, and still wonder what is lacking.

        Idols creep into our living.  At present there is disputing about whether it is possible, in addition to other idols, that we idolize our Bibles, or a better way of putting it “do we idolize our interpretation of the Bible.”

        We get stuck on our ideas, our thoughts, our philosophies.  We want to be in the right, or at least more right than the next person. 

        We’re really idolizing what we think is the best there is.  The rich young ruler idolized what he had achieved, idolized how his moral fibre had developed to near perfection, and he idolized what he had.  He would have been willing to give much away, to be poor in order to be rich in Christ, but he wasn’t willing to lose everything he had amassed. 

        Given a choice between the riches of life now or the riches of heaven to come, he chose the riches of what currently could see, handle, and rely on.  He did lack something; he lacked the most important.  He lacked the life of the Spirit of God and chose to go with the life of flesh and blood instead, to continue to rely upon himself, his achievements, and the quantity and quality of what he had cornered, conquered, and accumulated.

Joy Davidman, C. S. Lewis’ wife, asked, “What shape is an idol?”

She wrote, “I worship the god of worldly wisdom, patron of shopkeepers. I worship a fancy and expensive automobile.  All my days I give it offerings of oil and polish.  What model is your car, brother? I worship my house beautiful, sister.  Long and loving meditation have I spent on it; the chairs contrast with the rug, the curtains harmonize with woodwork, all of it is perfect and holy.  What shape is your idol, sister?  Is it your house, or your clothes, or perhaps even your worth-while club? I worship the pictures I paint, brother . . . I worship my job . . .  I worship my pastime . . . I worship my comfort; after all, isn't enjoyment the goal of life? . . .  I worship my family; and we are very well meaning and loving. I worship myself.  What shape is your idol?”

One thing the rich young ruler lacked.

All to Jesus, I surrender
All to Thee I freely give
I will ever love and trust You
In Your presence daily live 

A man with means meets the Master and discerns that a good man can be wrong.

        As wonderful and good the rich young man thought that he was, and in many would concur, he was wrong about several things.

        He was wrong about salvation.  He thought in terms of what he could do to earn salvation instead of coming to the realization that God provides salvation without cost and without our effort.  We don’t earn salvation; we receive it as a gift from God.

        He was wrong about goodness.  He thought in terms of goodness coming from internal qualities, developed over time and with the right environment and encouragement, instead of the fact only God is good.  Jesus was teaching him that our goodness, flawed as it is, doesn’t compare with God’s goodness, which is perfect.  Our goodness is never really good enough while God’s goodness satisfies the need for perfect righteousness.

        He was wrong about Jesus.  He called Jesus “good teacher” but Jesus is so much more than that, infinitely more.  Jesus is God.  The truth that Jesus is God is a stumbling block that is impossible to overcome except with God all things are possible, making us able even to believe the Messiah came to be with us, that God is with us.

        He was wrong about money.  When we put our trust in our wealth, little or great as it is, we are depending on what is passing away and what ultimately will do us no good for “naked we came from our mother’s womb and naked we shall return.”

What will someone give to save his soul when it is called upon?  As a lasting legacy, all the money in the world is irrelevant for it is here today and gone tomorrow.  The soul is what is eternal.  Jesus seeks to give us life internally and life eternally.  Our true wealth is found in Him and only in Him.

        The rich young ruler was right to come to Jesus.  He was wrong with the assumptions that he came with.  Would he listen, learn, and live?  Those are the crucial questions.

        Jesus told a parable about two who went up to the temple to pray:  a Pharisee and a tax collector.  As we know from the parable, the good man, the Pharisee, ended up condemning himself, while the bad man, the tax collector, was saved.

This could be called a “Reversal of Fortune”; it is the ultimate reversal.  The two were as different as they could be.  One had everything and appeared to be on his way to heaven . . .  but he never made it.  The other appeared to have nothing to recommend himself to God . . .  but he ended up saved.  The one who looks so good ends up looking bad; the one who looks so bad ends up looking good.

How can that be?

        To conclude the parable, Jesus said, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

        It is always wrong to ultimately trust in your own goodness and always right to ultimately trust in Jesus, to trust in God who came. 

A man of means meets the Master and sees that he must surrender what hinders him from following Jesus.

        We may have to surrender money to follow Jesus.

        Money is not the root of all evil but it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.  We get confused when we equate money with the bad and ugly.  Money, its accumulation and use, can be quite bad and ugly but only as we allow money to have sway over us; to control our waking and sleeping; to cause us to do everything in our power to get money and yield its influence; to put money in all its form before worshipping and serving God.

        It is as Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve money and God (Luke 16:13).”

        We may have to surrender loved ones to follow Jesus.

        A man was asked which he loved more:  his wife or Jesus.  The man thought for a little while and then replied, “I love my wife more.”

He put his love of earthly companionship and spouse before love of the Lord.  Thus, when it came down it, he would choose wife over Jesus.

        This sort of affection is not uncommon and not uncommonly the test of faith.  We know of Christians who have had to choose between family and God.  They were forced to choose one over the other.  Which would it be?

        Jesus said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:37-38).”

        We may have to surrender our homes, and/or lands, to follow Jesus.

        People of Christian faith have had to leave the place they call home to be home with Jesus, with Jesus now and with Jesus forever.  Eventually to be with Jesus means we will leave everything we call home here to be at home with Him there.  Even before that happens we may have to leave a place of comfort and peace to be His disciples, working our way with Him through the highways and byways of life.

        We may have to surrender acceptability (be persecuted) to follow Jesus.

        We may have to surrender our lives to follow Jesus. 

A man of means meets the Master and understands that to reject Jesus means sorrow.

        After the rich young ruler was challenged to give up his great wealth to follow Jesus, to have treasure in heaven, he was disheartened and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

        The man of means was not able to sing to Jesus in his heart and was very sorrowful.  God brings joy to us as we’re able to sing to Him from deep within ours. 

CONCLUSION

        We are not heroes; we believe in the Lord.  Jesus loves us in whatever state we find ourselves in.  Without Jesus we are missing what is most important.  We thought ourselves to be right about many things and, praise the Lord, Jesus has turned us around to the truth.  We have surrendered much to be the followers of Jesus and know it has been and is worth every sacrifice and more.  Instead of sorrow, we have experienced joy of the spirit knowing Jesus as our Jesus.

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold

I'd rather be His than have riches untold
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land

I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain
And be held in sin's dread sway

I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today

Pastor Allan  

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – October 5th Devotional 

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honour me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” Psalm 23:4,5 (NLT)

As I read this passage this morning, what struck me about it is that even as the psalmist, David, is talking about being in a frightening place – in the KJV, it is translated as ‘the valley of the shadow of death’ – he still recognizes that his cup is overflowing with blessings. The greatest blessing of all was the presence of God, who gave him the ability to say, ‘I will not be afraid.’

Many things cause us to be afraid. In Bible study last week, Overcoming Fear with Faith, we had a lighthearted moment where we talked about things that we’re afraid of, with snakes and spiders topping the list!

We could say that we’re living in days of unprecedented fear, but I’m sure every generation must feel that way about the challenges of their ‘modern day’, travelling a road where there seems to be no map or GPS. World wars, the Cold War, the Cuban missile crisis…the list goes on.

For some among us, the fear is of growing old. For many years, our society has valued youth and vitality, to the point where both women and men will take measures and spend money to try to halt the process, or at least, mask it well. Yet the fear goes deeper than appearance. The questions arise: how will I manage? Can I afford to live? Will I be alone? Will I be mobile? Will I have all my faculties? While these are all valid questions, and deserve preparations as we are able, it is the presence of our Heavenly Father that will keep us safely comforted, as David attested, for He is always close beside us. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8

And there are some among us who are at the other end of the spectrum, still raising children, still responsible for their physical and spiritual welfare. Many of us are grandparents, aunties and uncles. These days, in particular, are days of great concern and cause them, and all of us, to press in to the Lord for His guidance, wisdom and comfort. 

When Corrie Ten Boom was expressing her fears to her father during their unprecedented days in WW2 Holland, her father said to her, “Corrie, when we are taking the train

  Rejoice in the Lord 

        It has been quite the week; quite the year.  Covid, heat dome, wild fires, floods.  Christians and non-Christians alike have faced unprecedented trauma.  Prayers have gone up and lives have been saved, some lives have been lost, farms have been saved and some washed away, a city obliterated and other cities seriously compromised.  In parts of British Columbia it has been a total disaster while in other parts life has gone on as before.  Where is God when it hurts and disaster strikes; is there a God who cares about us; how are we going to manage to get through the most recent natural calamity? 

        Rick Warren, from Saddleback Church in California, has written and spoken about navigating in constant chaos.  This easily applies across the board within our families, schools and churches, communities, and society nationally as well as internationally.  How do we manage to navigate when all around we have constant chaos? 

        We can learn from the experience of the Christians of Philippi. 

        Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians while being imprisoned in Rome, under house arrest.  He was in lockdown.  It was not an easy time for him; quite the opposite.  And yet he had joy and considered it his great privilege to continue to tell others about Jesus as they came to visit him, even though he wasn’t able to go out and visit others.  

        The city of Philippi was a prosperous Roman colony, inhabited by citizens of Rome who dressed like Romans and spoke Latin.  It was hard to be different during those days, to be Christian in a non-Christian society.  The easiest thing to do would have been to conform to the customs and behaviour of one’s neighbours but what would that have done to one’s Christian faith? 

        There were not many Jewish people in Philippi, not even enough to permit the establishment of a synagogue.  The worship by and large, therefore, would have been of Roman pagan gods. 

        Among the general population were those who could be called the “rule keepers”; in this case the legalists who sought to follow the rules, make up new rules to suit their own purposes, and force others to comply with the rules.  On the other hand there were the libertines, those who valued personal liberty over and above the good of the other; you could call them the “eat, drink, and be merry crowd for tomorrow we die” people who had little concern about things apart from how it affected them. 

        Into this mix, this chaos of competing interests, the Christians were thrown, probably wondering whether they should be more ruled based on the one hand or more freedom fighters on the other. 

        Because the Christians were different from others and had a different world view, they were persecuted.  It is never easy being a person of Christian faith in a world gone mad that is rushing from one extreme to another.  The Christians of long ago were easy scapegoats for all that was wrong around them, an outlet for the anger and frustration being experienced by many. 

        There is a famous picture of people stuck in the mud, struggling to get free, being sucked down and deeper into it, while at the same time reaching up to the heavens, with hope in their eyes, trying with all their might to escape what is pulling them down to death and seeking upwards to what gives life.  This is the sort of situation for the Philippian Christians and what we find ourselves in.

STAND FIRM – LIVE PEACEFULLY 

        In the midst of the present chaos, the Philippian believers were told to stand firm in their faith.  Their faith in Christ meant trusting and believing in Him and also living it out. It is hard to carry on when all around things seem to be deteriorating.  How to have hope in a hopeless world is the challenge.

        We hear quite a lot about this or that event being one in a hundred years or even one in a thousand years.  As many have pointed out, this extremely rare disaster loses its meaning when it is being touted out time and again.  Soon people get the idea and thought that this is not such a rare event after all. 

        The Philippian believers were going through trials and tribulation which up to then was unknown to them.  However, others had gone through similar and even worse and there would be those who would yet experience the worst that the world could throw at them. 

        Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation but I have overcome the world.” 

        Having trouble and tribulation is not something new and novel.  It involves every life and at every turn there might be what is pleasing and also the possibility of facing what is terrible.  Paul’s advice was simple:  remember who you are in the sight of God and who you are with each other.  You are the beloved.  Now act like it. 

        Paul commented about two people in the church who weren’t getting along.  Maybe they were still talking to each other and maybe not but either way there was discord and everyone knew about it. 

        They were to remember who they were and others were to treat them accordingly.  They were God’s beloved.  Since they were God’s beloved, they ought to treat each other with care, kindness, and love. 

        When we meet people who have a long standing disagreement, because of differences of judgment, thoughts, and personality, we too have an obligation to do the right thing.  We’re asked, we’re commanded, to help people to get along; which of course first requires that we get along with those we don’t agree with.  We’re obliged to see each other through the eyes of Christ and not through our own myopic vision and mistaken understanding. 

        There was a row of Christians at a meeting who were discussing what they should do.  There was in their church two who were not speaking to each other.  The suggestion was the two probably at one time got along alright but for some reason they had had a falling out.  One in the row asked the others how they might help the two.  How could they help the two to get along again, to speak kindly one to the other? 

        Maybe there is someone in the church you would rather avoid.  For some reason you or they have had a falling out.  Now a certain bitterness has set in.  How can that be rectified?  How can you get along as Christians ought to? 

        It’s not just a matter of getting along because we’re all part of the human race.  It’s a matter of getting along because of the gospel of Christ.  Others are watching and affected by our love one for the other or the lack of it.  Better to be wronged than to sully the name of our Lord.  Better to lose and to have Christ win over us and others to His way of being and doing. 

        When we allow ourselves the right to be high and mighty, proud in our own eyes, God is not amused and we will not be filled with the joy of the Lord.  Bitterness and joy cannot exist side by side for either one will dominate or the other will.  

        Don’t give the root of bitterness the opening to ruin your witness for Christ and don’t let the root of bitterness ruin the joy of the Lord others are searching for desperately. 

        When all is said and done, in Christ we are in the book of life.  At the end, upon the final transaction and testimony, is your name written in the book of life?  Is the name of the one you are having outs with written in the book of life?  That is what counts and not whether you are in the right and justified.

        We notice Paul did not take sides.  It wasn’t a matter of an endless discussion about being correct and who had been wronged.  It was a matter of seeing people as those for whom Christ died.  The issue became unimportant, moot.  What counted was the fact the two were among those whom Christ loved and loves. 

        Stand firm in the Lord.  Live peacefully with others, especially with those who make up the body of Christ.  Help others to do the same.  Whatever is in your power to do, and more is present than you can imagine, bring peace and as you do there will be joy; surprising, irresistible joy. 

        Are we part of the problem or are we, with God’s help, part of the solution?  Allow the love of Christ to prevail. 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice!  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.  The Lord is near.”

JOY AND PEACE INSTEAD OF ANXIETY 

        We’re told to be anxious for nothing.  This is easier said than done. 

        Our natural selves are wired to be fearful.  We fear many things and even may fear other people.  So much and so many get in our way; so much and so many disturb us; we wonder what will be next; we look over our shoulders, down the street, and across the horizon fearful that the worst is yet to come. 

        It is then that we can and ought to look up to the Lord.  While we are sinking in the mud of the mess we find ourselves and our environment in, we can and ought to look to God who saves us, who preserves our being, and who has promised never to leave us nor forsake us.   

        We’re not on our own.  The Lord is with us.  As we read in the letter to the Philippian Christians, “The Lord is near.” 

        “Thank You, God, for being with us and caring about us.  Thank You for directing our paths as we make our way through the wickedness, darkness, and dismay we find around.  We look to You, God, to lift our spirits even as we look to You to help us navigate day by day and event by event.  And when this life of ours is over, God, we trust You are yet with us and we know You are, making a way for us from this life to the next one with Jesus our Lord.” 

Looking for answers, you need a way out
You've been trapped in that trial full of sorrow and doubt
You saw a trickle of sunlight but you found no escape
Just hold on to His promises, He said He'd make a way

He'll make a way in the middle of nowhere
When it seems no one really cares He is there by your side
He'll make a way when you feel Satan close in
He'll make a way right on time 

Standing at the Red Sea, no place to go
Pharaoh's army was closing in, they'd soon overthrow
But right out of nowhere came a might strong hand
He rolled back the water, He made a way out again Words and Music by Gerald Crabb 

        We pray and when we do it is not as a formula, speaking by rote, but a deep devotion and trust.  There are matters that are too deep for us to understand.  Thus we pray.  “Cast all of your anxiety on God for He cares for you.”

        “Now what, Lord?  Where do I turn?  What am I supposed to do? Help me not to try in my own strength, just to follow Your lead and trust in Your strength, doing as I ought to by applying your gift of ability and depending on You for what I cannot do.  Help me God to be open to the leading of Your Spirit; make me humble enough to allow others in to be Your helpers for me even as I am equipped by You God to be a helper to them.” 

        Peace, perfect peace, this is what we crave.  We need the peace of Christ during these turbulent, difficult days. 

        It is of note that the answer to petitions and thanksgiving to God is the gift of His peace.  We’re not told how the prayers will be answered.  We’re not given the expectation that all will be well from a world and worldly point of view.  We’re told we’ll be given the peace of God that passes all understanding, which will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

        When all around there are those who are losing their peace, wracked with anxiety, we turn to God to give us His peace once more.  In Christ we have peace that no one and nothing can understand but which we can have for ourselves.  Even though there is much to be troubled over, worried about, anxious in, Christ comes to let us know He is with us. 

        Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled nor let it be fearful.” 

        Psalm 27:  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? . . . In the day of trouble, He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock . . . Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.” 

        Our vision and prayer is for peace and not prosperity, peace and not anxiety, peace and not disagreement.  Our vision and prayer comes with requests and thanks to God, which results in His peace that passes all comprehension.  Praise the Lord for the peace of Christ which is ours to have and to share. 

A person of faith in Christ was eager to grow in his Christian life.  He got a piece of paper and made a list of all the things he would do for God.  He wrote down the things he would give up, the places he would go to minister, and the areas of ministry he would enter.  He was excited.  He took that list to the church and put it on the communion table.

He thought he would feel joy, but instead he felt empty.  So he went home and started adding to his list.  He wrote down more things he would do and wouldn’t do.  He took the longer list and put it on the communion table, but still he felt nothing.

He went to his pastor, told him the situation, and asked for help. The pastor said, “Take a blank sheet of paper.  Sign your name at the bottom.  Put that on the communion table.”  

The Christian did; then peace came to his heart, and he experienced the joy of the Lord. 

CONCLUSION

        “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  I can even have joy when it is not found elsewhere. The Lord is my light.  He is my salvation.  He is my defense.  As the world twists and turns, sometimes spinning right out of control, the Lord is with me and His peace will not leave me.  For I am His and He is mine.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”

Pastor Allan  

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – November 18th Devotional

Recently we were in a small shopping centre where the parking area seems way too small for the number of stores, with only one exit to the street. When it came time to leave, the line-up of cars also wanting to leave was so long it snaked around the entire lot! We realized pretty quickly that we were going to have to be a bit ‘assertive’ to break in, boxed in as we were in our aisle and so prevented from going to the end of the line. 

After waiting for some time, we saw a slight opening and pushed forward to slip into the line, only to see the next car accelerate to close the gap, preventing us from joining the queue. Not only that, but the driver, a man of a certain age, angrily mouthed some words at us from a enraged face as he moved past. Now, we couldn’t back up because of the cars behind us, and we couldn’t advance – until the young woman who was next in the line motioned, with a sweet smile, for us to go in front of her. 

Two different perspectives, two people. The over-the-top reaction of the first person astonished us, and the kind attitude of the second person delighted us, and made our day.

It caused me to think: which one of those people am I? Which of those personality traits do I, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is full of grace and mercy, emulate?

Each day, we have a fresh opportunity to shine the love of Jesus as we go about our day. One would think it’s a given that we are always the one to defer to the other, to go the extra mile, to think of others before ourselves. Ouch. It’s not always the case, is it?

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” Philippians 2:3-5

It’s not wrong to be concerned about our own lives, our own needs and interests, as this verse shows us, yet we are to be equally concerned about others. It’s not always easy, but it’s always good.

“To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me

In every thought and deed, this is my aim, my creed.

To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me

His Spirit helping me, like Him I’ll be.”  John Gowans

Of course, we all have different personalities, yet we can allow our thoughts and actions to be influenced by what we know of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Angela   

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – November 16th Devotional

“9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:9-15

As I was reading through this chapter of Romans this morning, this passage in particular spoke to my spirit. These are days of great emotional turmoil for many in our province of BC this morning. Parts of our own communities are greatly affected by the storm of the last few days. Homes are flooded and rendered unlivable. Toppled trees have crashed houses, cars, streets. Roads are washed away, stranding many and cutting off entire neighbourhoods. Highways are closed due to floods and damage.

For nearly two years the news has led with stories of this virus, punctuated here and there by elections, military coups, scandals…and the list could go on. This morning, in BC at any rate, it’s not the lead story. Instead, the tragedy affecting so many of our neighbours is front and centre. There is much weeping and despair.

And we wonder, where is all this taking us, and when will it all end?

What does this mean for those of us whose homes are warm and dry, whose lives are not directly affected by this disastrous situation? Only God can impress upon each of us what we are able to do physically to help our neighbour’s pain, especially as we remember Jesus’ description of our neighbour as being anyone who needs our help.

Weep with those who weep. Be constant in prayer.

We are called to feel each other’s pain. Weeping with those who weep might not mean the physical act of weeping so much as trying to put ourselves in their shoes so that we, as the unaffected ones, might lend them our strength in whatever ways we can.

And we pray.

Angela 

Sunday, October 31st, 2021 MARK 10:17-31  

A MAN OF MEANS MEETS THE MASTER

        We have our heroes, people we aspire to be or at least to be like; possibly someone strong and athletic, or someone people fawn over and gawk after, or someone close to your ideal person.  It could be that we aspire after the rich, to have what they have, to accomplish what they can with their wealth, the security of knowing we have enough and more than enough.

        Proverbs has some comments to make about desiring to be rich:  (Proverbs 23:1-7) “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite.  Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.  Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.  When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.  Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.  “Eat and drink!’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.  You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.”

        The rich young ruler was fascinating, not uncommon for any of us to meet.  He was charming.  He was a clean cut sort of person, humble enough to come to Jesus to learn from Him, courageous and bold enough to seek even as he thought he probably had all there was to have and was all there was to be, and prominent in society being well thought of by others.

        He possessed character, occupied a place of worldly position, was courteous, showed reverence, had ambition, and wielded wealth.  We know he was wealthy, and it is this that Jesus addressed.  All of the rich young ruler’s qualities were eventually measured in what he thought of his monetary standing, how he depended on his wealth and would not let it go, how having much got in the way of his having the most and the best God had to give.  He came to Jesus thinking he might add to his arsenal of character, goods, and security and left much worse off for he was left with himself and what he had gained but lost having Jesus.

A new Christian worker was assigned a car that wouldn’t start without a push.  After pondering the problem, he came up with a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of the class, and had them push his car off.

As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running.  He used this tactic for two years until an illness caused him and his family to leave.  When his replacement came, he explained the car situation to the new worker.

As he talked about how creative his plan was to run the car, the yet new Christian worker popped the hood and was looking at the engine as the other one spoke.  Before the other one finished, he said to him, “Hey, I see a loose cable here.”  He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, turned the key, and to the other’s surprise, the engine roared to life.

For two years he’d come up with a routine that was totally unnecessary.  The power had been there all the time.  But a loose connection had kept him from being able to put that power to work.

There was a rich young man who was trying to come up with a plan of how to live his life in a way that would be pleasing to God.  It was an admirable desire.  But there was a loose cable in his relationship with God.  Instead of fixing the cable, he came up with a routine that left the power of God out of his life altogether.

A man of means meets the Master and realizes that the Master loves him.

        We’ve been told innumerable times that there are basic needs for everyone; not many needs that must be met but core needs that we cry out internally and externally for.  In addition to food, water, and air, we all have the basic need to be loved.

        A person can have an abundance of everything but if there is not love then life is terrible, completely unsatisfactory.

        Often people feel unloved, and the rich are no different.  We read that Jesus, looking at the rich young ruler, loved him.

        It is said if you love someone they will go through “hell” for you.  Jesus literally went through hell, not condemned to be there but He went there, the place of the dead, preaching to those who died in the days of Noah, leading captives to freedom.  Jesus went through the “hell” of the cross for us, He suffered for us, died for us, took our place, with His stripes we are healed, leading us from the captivity of sin to freedom of the Spirit.

        (Ephessians 5:2):  “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.”

        It is not that Christ loved us because we are lovely, have wonderful characteristics, and have much to give to Him.  Christ loves us because God first loved us before we loved Him; He sent Jesus; God came to be with us.

        “In this is love, not that we first loved God but that God first loved us.”

        The response of the man of means was not what would be expected.  Instead of responding favourably to the love of Christ he turned away from it.

        Jesus loves what we would call the good and the bad, and which one of us is really good for only God is good.  Nonetheless, Jesus loves us. 

This weekend many will be watching the World Series televised from Atlanta, Georgia.  People will be on the edge of their seats cheering either for the Atlanta Braves or the Houston Astros.

What was and is much more profound happened years ago when a large Atlanta church, which was televising the service, had a retired 92 year minister preach from its pulpit.  There was a warm welcome as he was introduced and, as the applause quieted down, the old man rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort to the podium.

Without a note or written paper of any kind, he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak.

"When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your preacher asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson I ever learned in my 50 odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials.  The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heart break and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me.  The only thing that would comfort was this verse:  "Jesus loves me.” 

What is truly profound for you and me is not the ability of star baseball players, with their enormous salaries, playing to the crowds but the poor prophet of Nazareth who loved us and loves us whether we are on the winning or losing side of this earthly journey. “Yes, Jesus loves me.”

A man of means meets the Master and knows something is lacking in his life.

        The rich young ruler had many fine characteristics and possessed many fine things, but something was lacking in his life. 

        He agreed to the demands of the law of religion, which in and of itself was admirable.  He did not murder, did not commit adultery, did not steal, did not bear false witness, did not defraud, honoured his father and mother.  From a young age he was careful to abide by these rules, good rules, but yet he wondered what he lacked.

        There is this sense that we are incomplete; that we have done as we have been told; that we have been the best we can be even if there has been missteps and mistakes.  We have endeavoured to be good citizens, good to others, expressing high morals and worthy ethics.

        As we come to Jesus, we admit this, knowing with Him there is forgiveness and strength, and still wonder what is lacking.

        Idols creep into our living.  At present there is disputing about whether it is possible, in addition to other idols, that we idolize our Bibles, or a better way of putting it “do we idolize our interpretation of the Bible.”

        We get stuck on our ideas, our thoughts, our philosophies.  We want to be in the right, or at least more right than the next person. 

        We’re really idolizing what we think is the best there is.  The rich young ruler idolized what he had achieved, idolized how his moral fibre had developed to near perfection, and he idolized what he had.  He would have been willing to give much away, to be poor in order to be rich in Christ, but he wasn’t willing to lose everything he had amassed. 

        Given a choice between the riches of life now or the riches of heaven to come, he chose the riches of what currently could see, handle, and rely on.  He did lack something; he lacked the most important.  He lacked the life of the Spirit of God and chose to go with the life of flesh and blood instead, to continue to rely upon himself, his achievements, and the quantity and quality of what he had cornered, conquered, and accumulated.

Joy Davidman, C. S. Lewis’ wife, asked, “What shape is an idol?”

She wrote, “I worship the god of worldly wisdom, patron of shopkeepers. I worship a fancy and expensive automobile.  All my days I give it offerings of oil and polish.  What model is your car, brother? I worship my house beautiful, sister.  Long and loving meditation have I spent on it; the chairs contrast with the rug, the curtains harmonize with woodwork, all of it is perfect and holy.  What shape is your idol, sister?  Is it your house, or your clothes, or perhaps even your worth-while club? I worship the pictures I paint, brother . . . I worship my job . . .  I worship my pastime . . . I worship my comfort; after all, isn't enjoyment the goal of life? . . .  I worship my family; and we are very well meaning and loving. I worship myself.  What shape is your idol?”

One thing the rich young ruler lacked.

All to Jesus, I surrender
All to Thee I freely give
I will ever love and trust You
In Your presence daily live 

A man with means meets the Master and discerns that a good man can be wrong.

        As wonderful and good the rich young man thought that he was, and in many would concur, he was wrong about several things.

        He was wrong about salvation.  He thought in terms of what he could do to earn salvation instead of coming to the realization that God provides salvation without cost and without our effort.  We don’t earn salvation; we receive it as a gift from God.

        He was wrong about goodness.  He thought in terms of goodness coming from internal qualities, developed over time and with the right environment and encouragement, instead of the fact only God is good.  Jesus was teaching him that our goodness, flawed as it is, doesn’t compare with God’s goodness, which is perfect.  Our goodness is never really good enough while God’s goodness satisfies the need for perfect righteousness.

        He was wrong about Jesus.  He called Jesus “good teacher” but Jesus is so much more than that, infinitely more.  Jesus is God.  The truth that Jesus is God is a stumbling block that is impossible to overcome except with God all things are possible, making us able even to believe the Messiah came to be with us, that God is with us.

        He was wrong about money.  When we put our trust in our wealth, little or great as it is, we are depending on what is passing away and what ultimately will do us no good for “naked we came from our mother’s womb and naked we shall return.”

What will someone give to save his soul when it is called upon?  As a lasting legacy, all the money in the world is irrelevant for it is here today and gone tomorrow.  The soul is what is eternal.  Jesus seeks to give us life internally and life eternally.  Our true wealth is found in Him and only in Him.

        The rich young ruler was right to come to Jesus.  He was wrong with the assumptions that he came with.  Would he listen, learn, and live?  Those are the crucial questions.

        Jesus told a parable about two who went up to the temple to pray:  a Pharisee and a tax collector.  As we know from the parable, the good man, the Pharisee, ended up condemning himself, while the bad man, the tax collector, was saved.

This could be called a “Reversal of Fortune”; it is the ultimate reversal.  The two were as different as they could be.  One had everything and appeared to be on his way to heaven . . .  but he never made it.  The other appeared to have nothing to recommend himself to God . . .  but he ended up saved.  The one who looks so good ends up looking bad; the one who looks so bad ends up looking good.

How can that be?

        To conclude the parable, Jesus said, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

        It is always wrong to ultimately trust in your own goodness and always right to ultimately trust in Jesus, to trust in God who came. 

A man of means meets the Master and sees that he must surrender what hinders him from following Jesus.

        We may have to surrender money to follow Jesus.

        Money is not the root of all evil but it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.  We get confused when we equate money with the bad and ugly.  Money, its accumulation and use, can be quite bad and ugly but only as we allow money to have sway over us; to control our waking and sleeping; to cause us to do everything in our power to get money and yield its influence; to put money in all its form before worshipping and serving God.

        It is as Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve money and God (Luke 16:13).”

        We may have to surrender loved ones to follow Jesus.

        A man was asked which he loved more:  his wife or Jesus.  The man thought for a little while and then replied, “I love my wife more.”

He put his love of earthly companionship and spouse before love of the Lord.  Thus, when it came down it, he would choose wife over Jesus.

        This sort of affection is not uncommon and not uncommonly the test of faith.  We know of Christians who have had to choose between family and God.  They were forced to choose one over the other.  Which would it be?

        Jesus said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:37-38).”

        We may have to surrender our homes, and/or lands, to follow Jesus.

        People of Christian faith have had to leave the place they call home to be home with Jesus, with Jesus now and with Jesus forever.  Eventually to be with Jesus means we will leave everything we call home here to be at home with Him there.  Even before that happens we may have to leave a place of comfort and peace to be His disciples, working our way with Him through the highways and byways of life.

        We may have to surrender acceptability (be persecuted) to follow Jesus.

        We may have to surrender our lives to follow Jesus. 

A man of means meets the Master and understands that to reject Jesus means sorrow.

        After the rich young ruler was challenged to give up his great wealth to follow Jesus, to have treasure in heaven, he was disheartened and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

        The man of means was not able to sing to Jesus in his heart and was very sorrowful.  God brings joy to us as we’re able to sing to Him from deep within ours. 

CONCLUSION

        We are not heroes; we believe in the Lord.  Jesus loves us in whatever state we find ourselves in.  Without Jesus we are missing what is most important.  We thought ourselves to be right about many things and, praise the Lord, Jesus has turned us around to the truth.  We have surrendered much to be the followers of Jesus and know it has been and is worth every sacrifice and more.  Instead of sorrow, we have experienced joy of the spirit knowing Jesus as our Jesus.

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold

I'd rather be His than have riches untold
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land

I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain
And be held in sin's dread sway

I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today

Pastor Allan  

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – October 5th Devotional 

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honour me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” Psalm 23:4,5 (NLT)

As I read this passage this morning, what struck me about it is that even as the psalmist, David, is talking about being in a frightening place – in the KJV, it is translated as ‘the valley of the shadow of death’ – he still recognizes that his cup is overflowing with blessings. The greatest blessing of all was the presence of God, who gave him the ability to say, ‘I will not be afraid.’

Many things cause us to be afraid. In Bible study last week, Overcoming Fear with Faith, we had a lighthearted moment where we talked about things that we’re afraid of, with snakes and spiders topping the list!

We could say that we’re living in days of unprecedented fear, but I’m sure every generation must feel that way about the challenges of their ‘modern day’, travelling a road where there seems to be no map or GPS. World wars, the Cold War, the Cuban missile crisis…the list goes on.

For some among us, the fear is of growing old. For many years, our society has valued youth and vitality, to the point where both women and men will take measures and spend money to try to halt the process, or at least, mask it well. Yet the fear goes deeper than appearance. The questions arise: how will I manage? Can I afford to live? Will I be alone? Will I be mobile? Will I have all my faculties? While these are all valid questions, and deserve preparations as we are able, it is the presence of our Heavenly Father that will keep us safely comforted, as David attested, for He is always close beside us. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8

And there are some among us who are at the other end of the spectrum, still raising children, still responsible for their physical and spiritual welfare. Many of us are grandparents, aunties and uncles. These days, in particular, are days of great concern and cause them, and all of us, to press in to the Lord for His guidance, wisdom and comfort. 

When Corrie Ten Boom was expressing her fears to her father during their unprecedented days in WW2 Holland, her father said to her, “Corrie, when we are taking the train to Amsterdam, when do I give you the ticket?” Corrie answered, “Just before we go through the gate.” Her father’s wise counsel: God gives us the strength we need just as we need it. 

He doesn’t give us tomorrow’s strength, just today’s, and that causes us to press in close to Him in complete dependence. “I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” 

Angela  

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – September 25th Devotional

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!” Psalm 139:13-17

The saying, “Be yourself, everyone else is taken!” is attributed to several different authors. Regardless of who wrote it, who can argue? So, too, with another saying attributed to a number of authors: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

As the scripture portion above tells us, each one of us is uniquely designed and created by our Heavenly Father, with our personality, gifts and talents. Yet, sometimes, rather than enjoy who we were created to be, we compare ourselves to others and come up sadly lacking, as if God has defrauded us in some way.

“I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think about; for to have been thought about, born in God’s thought, and then made by God is the dearest, grandest and most precious thought in all thinking.” George MacDonald, Scottish author and preacher.

By NOT recognizing how God has gifted us, we deny His goodness. Recognizing our gifts and talents is not conceited; rather, it is the way of acknowledging the generosity of our Heavenly Father, and through the grace of the Lord Jesus and power of the Holy Spirit we dedicate our unique selves to be used to God’s glory.

Angela 

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – September 9th devotional

Jesus said (John 16:33):  “In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

We seek for certainty.  We want to know that what we are doing is going to produce the best result for us and others.  But how can we know things and the future for certain when the world is turned upside down and we struggle to trust others, ourselves, and often enough our God?

Gladys Aylward was a missionary to China during the desperate days of war in the 1940s.  She was forced to flee when an invading army swept into her province of that country.  But she could not leave her work behind.  With only one assistant, she led more than a hundred orphans over the mountains to freedom.

In their book, The Hidden Price of Greatness by Ray Besson and Ranelda Hunsicker, we find an account of their journey.

During the journey to freedom Aylward grappled with despair as never before.  After passing a sleepless night, Aylward faced the morning with no hope of reaching safety.  A thirteen-year-old girl in the group reminded her of their much loved story of Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.

“But I am not Moses,” Gladys cried in desperation. “Of course you aren’t,” the girl said, “but Jehovah is still God!” When Gladys and the orphans made it through, they proved once again that no matter how inadequate we feel and in reality are, God is still God, and we can trust in Him.

Everett Koop put it succinctly writing, “We grow and mature spiritually through adversity—not when everything is going smoothly . . . In a time of adversity or trouble, the Christian has the opportunity to know God in a special and personal way.”

There comes the moment in every Christian’s life when they cannot trust in others or themselves as once they did but going deeper with Jesus, who was and is God with us, deeper with God our Father in heaven, and deeper with God the Holy Spirit we find we can trust God in life and even in death. 

Jesus said (John 14):  “Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in Me . . . I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also . . . I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me . . . I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.  You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

What a great promise for each one of us who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are not alone in this struggle of ours, not alone when trial and tribulation arrive at our doorsteps, not alone when facing the darkness and the uncertainty of it all.  We have the Holy Spirit with us.  We have the Spirit of Jesus, God with us, dwelling within us.

We are not God and should stop trying to act as if we are.  However, we have the Spirit of God dwelling within us.  Take heart.  Trust in the Lord and keep trusting in the Lord.  God is still God and He is still our God.  He is leading us through and leading us home.

Pastor Allan  

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – September 7th Devotional

In John 11, we read the account of the death of Lazarus, brother to Mary and Martha, and friend of Jesus. When Lazarus became sick, the sisters sent a poignant message to Jesus: “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” 

The account goes on to say that, loving the little family as he did, Jesus nevertheless stayed two more days where he was before starting on the trek to Bethany. By the time he and his disciples arrived, Lazarus was dead and buried, already four days in the grave. 

When Martha heard Jesus was near she left all the clamour of the house, where guests and mourners were gathered, went out to meet him and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

In essence, Martha was saying, “Jesus, you could have prevented this from happening. But you didn’t, so what now?” 

How often do we look to God – Jesus – to be the one to prevent all the terrible things in the world from happening? It’s commonplace to hear, “Why does God allow all these things to happen?” Yet, for reasons beyond our grasp, God chooses not to major in prevention. 

We can learn something very important from believers in lands where to be a follower of Jesus is to invite persecution, ostracism and even death. They ask that we in ‘the West’ pray not that they will be spared suffering but that God’s mighty power will keep them steadfast in the midst of the suffering and help them to be faithful even if it means their death. They accept that prevention is unlikely, but redemption and resurrection are promised through Jesus Christ.

All the suffering and trouble in the global world, and in our individual ‘daily world’, was predicted by Jesus. “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” 

The message is clear. In Jesus Christ, we are empowered to endure and persevere through it all, and in Him, we are overcomers. 

In Martha’s second sentence above, she says, “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

In His prayer for His disciples in John 17:15-20 Jesus prays, “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep the

  Rejoice in the Lord 

        It has been quite the week; quite the year.  Covid, heat dome, wild fires, floods.  Christians and non-Christians alike have faced unprecedented trauma.  Prayers have gone up and lives have been saved, some lives have been lost, farms have been saved and some washed away, a city obliterated and other cities seriously compromised.  In parts of British Columbia it has been a total disaster while in other parts life has gone on as before.  Where is God when it hurts and disaster strikes; is there a God who cares about us; how are we going to manage to get through the most recent natural calamity? 

        Rick Warren, from Saddleback Church in California, has written and spoken about navigating in constant chaos.  This easily applies across the board within our families, schools and churches, communities, and society nationally as well as internationally.  How do we manage to navigate when all around we have constant chaos? 

        We can learn from the experience of the Christians of Philippi. 

        Paul wrote to the Philippian Christians while being imprisoned in Rome, under house arrest.  He was in lockdown.  It was not an easy time for him; quite the opposite.  And yet he had joy and considered it his great privilege to continue to tell others about Jesus as they came to visit him, even though he wasn’t able to go out and visit others.  

        The city of Philippi was a prosperous Roman colony, inhabited by citizens of Rome who dressed like Romans and spoke Latin.  It was hard to be different during those days, to be Christian in a non-Christian society.  The easiest thing to do would have been to conform to the customs and behaviour of one’s neighbours but what would that have done to one’s Christian faith? 

        There were not many Jewish people in Philippi, not even enough to permit the establishment of a synagogue.  The worship by and large, therefore, would have been of Roman pagan gods. 

        Among the general population were those who could be called the “rule keepers”; in this case the legalists who sought to follow the rules, make up new rules to suit their own purposes, and force others to comply with the rules.  On the other hand there were the libertines, those who valued personal liberty over and above the good of the other; you could call them the “eat, drink, and be merry crowd for tomorrow we die” people who had little concern about things apart from how it affected them. 

        Into this mix, this chaos of competing interests, the Christians were thrown, probably wondering whether they should be more ruled based on the one hand or more freedom fighters on the other. 

        Because the Christians were different from others and had a different world view, they were persecuted.  It is never easy being a person of Christian faith in a world gone mad that is rushing from one extreme to another.  The Christians of long ago were easy scapegoats for all that was wrong around them, an outlet for the anger and frustration being experienced by many. 

        There is a famous picture of people stuck in the mud, struggling to get free, being sucked down and deeper into it, while at the same time reaching up to the heavens, with hope in their eyes, trying with all their might to escape what is pulling them down to death and seeking upwards to what gives life.  This is the sort of situation for the Philippian Christians and what we find ourselves in.

STAND FIRM – LIVE PEACEFULLY 

        In the midst of the present chaos, the Philippian believers were told to stand firm in their faith.  Their faith in Christ meant trusting and believing in Him and also living it out. It is hard to carry on when all around things seem to be deteriorating.  How to have hope in a hopeless world is the challenge.

        We hear quite a lot about this or that event being one in a hundred years or even one in a thousand years.  As many have pointed out, this extremely rare disaster loses its meaning when it is being touted out time and again.  Soon people get the idea and thought that this is not such a rare event after all. 

        The Philippian believers were going through trials and tribulation which up to then was unknown to them.  However, others had gone through similar and even worse and there would be those who would yet experience the worst that the world could throw at them. 

        Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation but I have overcome the world.” 

        Having trouble and tribulation is not something new and novel.  It involves every life and at every turn there might be what is pleasing and also the possibility of facing what is terrible.  Paul’s advice was simple:  remember who you are in the sight of God and who you are with each other.  You are the beloved.  Now act like it. 

        Paul commented about two people in the church who weren’t getting along.  Maybe they were still talking to each other and maybe not but either way there was discord and everyone knew about it. 

        They were to remember who they were and others were to treat them accordingly.  They were God’s beloved.  Since they were God’s beloved, they ought to treat each other with care, kindness, and love. 

        When we meet people who have a long standing disagreement, because of differences of judgment, thoughts, and personality, we too have an obligation to do the right thing.  We’re asked, we’re commanded, to help people to get along; which of course first requires that we get along with those we don’t agree with.  We’re obliged to see each other through the eyes of Christ and not through our own myopic vision and mistaken understanding. 

        There was a row of Christians at a meeting who were discussing what they should do.  There was in their church two who were not speaking to each other.  The suggestion was the two probably at one time got along alright but for some reason they had had a falling out.  One in the row asked the others how they might help the two.  How could they help the two to get along again, to speak kindly one to the other? 

        Maybe there is someone in the church you would rather avoid.  For some reason you or they have had a falling out.  Now a certain bitterness has set in.  How can that be rectified?  How can you get along as Christians ought to? 

        It’s not just a matter of getting along because we’re all part of the human race.  It’s a matter of getting along because of the gospel of Christ.  Others are watching and affected by our love one for the other or the lack of it.  Better to be wronged than to sully the name of our Lord.  Better to lose and to have Christ win over us and others to His way of being and doing. 

        When we allow ourselves the right to be high and mighty, proud in our own eyes, God is not amused and we will not be filled with the joy of the Lord.  Bitterness and joy cannot exist side by side for either one will dominate or the other will.  

        Don’t give the root of bitterness the opening to ruin your witness for Christ and don’t let the root of bitterness ruin the joy of the Lord others are searching for desperately. 

        When all is said and done, in Christ we are in the book of life.  At the end, upon the final transaction and testimony, is your name written in the book of life?  Is the name of the one you are having outs with written in the book of life?  That is what counts and not whether you are in the right and justified.

        We notice Paul did not take sides.  It wasn’t a matter of an endless discussion about being correct and who had been wronged.  It was a matter of seeing people as those for whom Christ died.  The issue became unimportant, moot.  What counted was the fact the two were among those whom Christ loved and loves. 

        Stand firm in the Lord.  Live peacefully with others, especially with those who make up the body of Christ.  Help others to do the same.  Whatever is in your power to do, and more is present than you can imagine, bring peace and as you do there will be joy; surprising, irresistible joy. 

        Are we part of the problem or are we, with God’s help, part of the solution?  Allow the love of Christ to prevail. 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice!  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men.  The Lord is near.”

JOY AND PEACE INSTEAD OF ANXIETY 

        We’re told to be anxious for nothing.  This is easier said than done. 

        Our natural selves are wired to be fearful.  We fear many things and even may fear other people.  So much and so many get in our way; so much and so many disturb us; we wonder what will be next; we look over our shoulders, down the street, and across the horizon fearful that the worst is yet to come. 

        It is then that we can and ought to look up to the Lord.  While we are sinking in the mud of the mess we find ourselves and our environment in, we can and ought to look to God who saves us, who preserves our being, and who has promised never to leave us nor forsake us.   

        We’re not on our own.  The Lord is with us.  As we read in the letter to the Philippian Christians, “The Lord is near.” 

        “Thank You, God, for being with us and caring about us.  Thank You for directing our paths as we make our way through the wickedness, darkness, and dismay we find around.  We look to You, God, to lift our spirits even as we look to You to help us navigate day by day and event by event.  And when this life of ours is over, God, we trust You are yet with us and we know You are, making a way for us from this life to the next one with Jesus our Lord.” 

Looking for answers, you need a way out
You've been trapped in that trial full of sorrow and doubt
You saw a trickle of sunlight but you found no escape
Just hold on to His promises, He said He'd make a way

He'll make a way in the middle of nowhere
When it seems no one really cares He is there by your side
He'll make a way when you feel Satan close in
He'll make a way right on time 

Standing at the Red Sea, no place to go
Pharaoh's army was closing in, they'd soon overthrow
But right out of nowhere came a might strong hand
He rolled back the water, He made a way out again Words and Music by Gerald Crabb 

        We pray and when we do it is not as a formula, speaking by rote, but a deep devotion and trust.  There are matters that are too deep for us to understand.  Thus we pray.  “Cast all of your anxiety on God for He cares for you.”

        “Now what, Lord?  Where do I turn?  What am I supposed to do? Help me not to try in my own strength, just to follow Your lead and trust in Your strength, doing as I ought to by applying your gift of ability and depending on You for what I cannot do.  Help me God to be open to the leading of Your Spirit; make me humble enough to allow others in to be Your helpers for me even as I am equipped by You God to be a helper to them.” 

        Peace, perfect peace, this is what we crave.  We need the peace of Christ during these turbulent, difficult days. 

        It is of note that the answer to petitions and thanksgiving to God is the gift of His peace.  We’re not told how the prayers will be answered.  We’re not given the expectation that all will be well from a world and worldly point of view.  We’re told we’ll be given the peace of God that passes all understanding, which will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. 

        When all around there are those who are losing their peace, wracked with anxiety, we turn to God to give us His peace once more.  In Christ we have peace that no one and nothing can understand but which we can have for ourselves.  Even though there is much to be troubled over, worried about, anxious in, Christ comes to let us know He is with us. 

        Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Do not let your heart be troubled nor let it be fearful.” 

        Psalm 27:  “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the defense of my life; whom shall I dread? . . . In the day of trouble, He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock . . . Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.” 

        Our vision and prayer is for peace and not prosperity, peace and not anxiety, peace and not disagreement.  Our vision and prayer comes with requests and thanks to God, which results in His peace that passes all comprehension.  Praise the Lord for the peace of Christ which is ours to have and to share. 

A person of faith in Christ was eager to grow in his Christian life.  He got a piece of paper and made a list of all the things he would do for God.  He wrote down the things he would give up, the places he would go to minister, and the areas of ministry he would enter.  He was excited.  He took that list to the church and put it on the communion table.

He thought he would feel joy, but instead he felt empty.  So he went home and started adding to his list.  He wrote down more things he would do and wouldn’t do.  He took the longer list and put it on the communion table, but still he felt nothing.

He went to his pastor, told him the situation, and asked for help. The pastor said, “Take a blank sheet of paper.  Sign your name at the bottom.  Put that on the communion table.”  

The Christian did; then peace came to his heart, and he experienced the joy of the Lord. 

CONCLUSION

        “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  I can even have joy when it is not found elsewhere. The Lord is my light.  He is my salvation.  He is my defense.  As the world twists and turns, sometimes spinning right out of control, the Lord is with me and His peace will not leave me.  For I am His and He is mine.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.”

Pastor Allan  

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – November 18th Devotional

Recently we were in a small shopping centre where the parking area seems way too small for the number of stores, with only one exit to the street. When it came time to leave, the line-up of cars also wanting to leave was so long it snaked around the entire lot! We realized pretty quickly that we were going to have to be a bit ‘assertive’ to break in, boxed in as we were in our aisle and so prevented from going to the end of the line. 

After waiting for some time, we saw a slight opening and pushed forward to slip into the line, only to see the next car accelerate to close the gap, preventing us from joining the queue. Not only that, but the driver, a man of a certain age, angrily mouthed some words at us from a enraged face as he moved past. Now, we couldn’t back up because of the cars behind us, and we couldn’t advance – until the young woman who was next in the line motioned, with a sweet smile, for us to go in front of her. 

Two different perspectives, two people. The over-the-top reaction of the first person astonished us, and the kind attitude of the second person delighted us, and made our day.

It caused me to think: which one of those people am I? Which of those personality traits do I, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, who is full of grace and mercy, emulate?

Each day, we have a fresh opportunity to shine the love of Jesus as we go about our day. One would think it’s a given that we are always the one to defer to the other, to go the extra mile, to think of others before ourselves. Ouch. It’s not always the case, is it?

“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…” Philippians 2:3-5

It’s not wrong to be concerned about our own lives, our own needs and interests, as this verse shows us, yet we are to be equally concerned about others. It’s not always easy, but it’s always good.

“To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me

In every thought and deed, this is my aim, my creed.

To be like Jesus, this hope possesses me

His Spirit helping me, like Him I’ll be.”  John Gowans

Of course, we all have different personalities, yet we can allow our thoughts and actions to be influenced by what we know of Jesus Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Angela   

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – November 16th Devotional

“9 Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” Romans 12:9-15

As I was reading through this chapter of Romans this morning, this passage in particular spoke to my spirit. These are days of great emotional turmoil for many in our province of BC this morning. Parts of our own communities are greatly affected by the storm of the last few days. Homes are flooded and rendered unlivable. Toppled trees have crashed houses, cars, streets. Roads are washed away, stranding many and cutting off entire neighbourhoods. Highways are closed due to floods and damage.

For nearly two years the news has led with stories of this virus, punctuated here and there by elections, military coups, scandals…and the list could go on. This morning, in BC at any rate, it’s not the lead story. Instead, the tragedy affecting so many of our neighbours is front and centre. There is much weeping and despair.

And we wonder, where is all this taking us, and when will it all end?

What does this mean for those of us whose homes are warm and dry, whose lives are not directly affected by this disastrous situation? Only God can impress upon each of us what we are able to do physically to help our neighbour’s pain, especially as we remember Jesus’ description of our neighbour as being anyone who needs our help.

Weep with those who weep. Be constant in prayer.

We are called to feel each other’s pain. Weeping with those who weep might not mean the physical act of weeping so much as trying to put ourselves in their shoes so that we, as the unaffected ones, might lend them our strength in whatever ways we can.

And we pray.

Angela 

Sunday, October 31st, 2021 MARK 10:17-31  

A MAN OF MEANS MEETS THE MASTER

        We have our heroes, people we aspire to be or at least to be like; possibly someone strong and athletic, or someone people fawn over and gawk after, or someone close to your ideal person.  It could be that we aspire after the rich, to have what they have, to accomplish what they can with their wealth, the security of knowing we have enough and more than enough.

        Proverbs has some comments to make about desiring to be rich:  (Proverbs 23:1-7) “When you sit down to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you, and put a knife to your throat if you are given to appetite.  Do not desire his delicacies, for they are deceptive food.  Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.  When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.  Do not eat the bread of a man who is stingy; do not desire his delicacies, for he is like one who is inwardly calculating.  “Eat and drink!’ he says to you, but his heart is not with you.  You will vomit up the morsels that you have eaten, and waste your pleasant words.”

        The rich young ruler was fascinating, not uncommon for any of us to meet.  He was charming.  He was a clean cut sort of person, humble enough to come to Jesus to learn from Him, courageous and bold enough to seek even as he thought he probably had all there was to have and was all there was to be, and prominent in society being well thought of by others.

        He possessed character, occupied a place of worldly position, was courteous, showed reverence, had ambition, and wielded wealth.  We know he was wealthy, and it is this that Jesus addressed.  All of the rich young ruler’s qualities were eventually measured in what he thought of his monetary standing, how he depended on his wealth and would not let it go, how having much got in the way of his having the most and the best God had to give.  He came to Jesus thinking he might add to his arsenal of character, goods, and security and left much worse off for he was left with himself and what he had gained but lost having Jesus.

A new Christian worker was assigned a car that wouldn’t start without a push.  After pondering the problem, he came up with a plan. He went to the school near his home, got permission to take some children out of the class, and had them push his car off.

As he made his rounds, he would either park on a hill or leave the engine running.  He used this tactic for two years until an illness caused him and his family to leave.  When his replacement came, he explained the car situation to the new worker.

As he talked about how creative his plan was to run the car, the yet new Christian worker popped the hood and was looking at the engine as the other one spoke.  Before the other one finished, he said to him, “Hey, I see a loose cable here.”  He gave the cable a twist, stepped into the car, turned the key, and to the other’s surprise, the engine roared to life.

For two years he’d come up with a routine that was totally unnecessary.  The power had been there all the time.  But a loose connection had kept him from being able to put that power to work.

There was a rich young man who was trying to come up with a plan of how to live his life in a way that would be pleasing to God.  It was an admirable desire.  But there was a loose cable in his relationship with God.  Instead of fixing the cable, he came up with a routine that left the power of God out of his life altogether.

A man of means meets the Master and realizes that the Master loves him.

        We’ve been told innumerable times that there are basic needs for everyone; not many needs that must be met but core needs that we cry out internally and externally for.  In addition to food, water, and air, we all have the basic need to be loved.

        A person can have an abundance of everything but if there is not love then life is terrible, completely unsatisfactory.

        Often people feel unloved, and the rich are no different.  We read that Jesus, looking at the rich young ruler, loved him.

        It is said if you love someone they will go through “hell” for you.  Jesus literally went through hell, not condemned to be there but He went there, the place of the dead, preaching to those who died in the days of Noah, leading captives to freedom.  Jesus went through the “hell” of the cross for us, He suffered for us, died for us, took our place, with His stripes we are healed, leading us from the captivity of sin to freedom of the Spirit.

        (Ephessians 5:2):  “Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us.”

        It is not that Christ loved us because we are lovely, have wonderful characteristics, and have much to give to Him.  Christ loves us because God first loved us before we loved Him; He sent Jesus; God came to be with us.

        “In this is love, not that we first loved God but that God first loved us.”

        The response of the man of means was not what would be expected.  Instead of responding favourably to the love of Christ he turned away from it.

        Jesus loves what we would call the good and the bad, and which one of us is really good for only God is good.  Nonetheless, Jesus loves us. 

This weekend many will be watching the World Series televised from Atlanta, Georgia.  People will be on the edge of their seats cheering either for the Atlanta Braves or the Houston Astros.

What was and is much more profound happened years ago when a large Atlanta church, which was televising the service, had a retired 92 year minister preach from its pulpit.  There was a warm welcome as he was introduced and, as the applause quieted down, the old man rose from his high back chair and walked slowly, with great effort to the podium.

Without a note or written paper of any kind, he placed both hands on the pulpit to steady himself and then quietly and slowly he began to speak.

"When I was asked to come here today and talk to you, your preacher asked me to tell you what was the greatest lesson I ever learned in my 50 odd years of preaching. I thought about it for a few days and boiled it down to just one thing that made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials.  The one thing that I could always rely on when tears and heart break and pain and fear and sorrow paralyzed me.  The only thing that would comfort was this verse:  "Jesus loves me.” 

What is truly profound for you and me is not the ability of star baseball players, with their enormous salaries, playing to the crowds but the poor prophet of Nazareth who loved us and loves us whether we are on the winning or losing side of this earthly journey. “Yes, Jesus loves me.”

A man of means meets the Master and knows something is lacking in his life.

        The rich young ruler had many fine characteristics and possessed many fine things, but something was lacking in his life. 

        He agreed to the demands of the law of religion, which in and of itself was admirable.  He did not murder, did not commit adultery, did not steal, did not bear false witness, did not defraud, honoured his father and mother.  From a young age he was careful to abide by these rules, good rules, but yet he wondered what he lacked.

        There is this sense that we are incomplete; that we have done as we have been told; that we have been the best we can be even if there has been missteps and mistakes.  We have endeavoured to be good citizens, good to others, expressing high morals and worthy ethics.

        As we come to Jesus, we admit this, knowing with Him there is forgiveness and strength, and still wonder what is lacking.

        Idols creep into our living.  At present there is disputing about whether it is possible, in addition to other idols, that we idolize our Bibles, or a better way of putting it “do we idolize our interpretation of the Bible.”

        We get stuck on our ideas, our thoughts, our philosophies.  We want to be in the right, or at least more right than the next person. 

        We’re really idolizing what we think is the best there is.  The rich young ruler idolized what he had achieved, idolized how his moral fibre had developed to near perfection, and he idolized what he had.  He would have been willing to give much away, to be poor in order to be rich in Christ, but he wasn’t willing to lose everything he had amassed. 

        Given a choice between the riches of life now or the riches of heaven to come, he chose the riches of what currently could see, handle, and rely on.  He did lack something; he lacked the most important.  He lacked the life of the Spirit of God and chose to go with the life of flesh and blood instead, to continue to rely upon himself, his achievements, and the quantity and quality of what he had cornered, conquered, and accumulated.

Joy Davidman, C. S. Lewis’ wife, asked, “What shape is an idol?”

She wrote, “I worship the god of worldly wisdom, patron of shopkeepers. I worship a fancy and expensive automobile.  All my days I give it offerings of oil and polish.  What model is your car, brother? I worship my house beautiful, sister.  Long and loving meditation have I spent on it; the chairs contrast with the rug, the curtains harmonize with woodwork, all of it is perfect and holy.  What shape is your idol, sister?  Is it your house, or your clothes, or perhaps even your worth-while club? I worship the pictures I paint, brother . . . I worship my job . . .  I worship my pastime . . . I worship my comfort; after all, isn't enjoyment the goal of life? . . .  I worship my family; and we are very well meaning and loving. I worship myself.  What shape is your idol?”

One thing the rich young ruler lacked.

All to Jesus, I surrender
All to Thee I freely give
I will ever love and trust You
In Your presence daily live 

A man with means meets the Master and discerns that a good man can be wrong.

        As wonderful and good the rich young man thought that he was, and in many would concur, he was wrong about several things.

        He was wrong about salvation.  He thought in terms of what he could do to earn salvation instead of coming to the realization that God provides salvation without cost and without our effort.  We don’t earn salvation; we receive it as a gift from God.

        He was wrong about goodness.  He thought in terms of goodness coming from internal qualities, developed over time and with the right environment and encouragement, instead of the fact only God is good.  Jesus was teaching him that our goodness, flawed as it is, doesn’t compare with God’s goodness, which is perfect.  Our goodness is never really good enough while God’s goodness satisfies the need for perfect righteousness.

        He was wrong about Jesus.  He called Jesus “good teacher” but Jesus is so much more than that, infinitely more.  Jesus is God.  The truth that Jesus is God is a stumbling block that is impossible to overcome except with God all things are possible, making us able even to believe the Messiah came to be with us, that God is with us.

        He was wrong about money.  When we put our trust in our wealth, little or great as it is, we are depending on what is passing away and what ultimately will do us no good for “naked we came from our mother’s womb and naked we shall return.”

What will someone give to save his soul when it is called upon?  As a lasting legacy, all the money in the world is irrelevant for it is here today and gone tomorrow.  The soul is what is eternal.  Jesus seeks to give us life internally and life eternally.  Our true wealth is found in Him and only in Him.

        The rich young ruler was right to come to Jesus.  He was wrong with the assumptions that he came with.  Would he listen, learn, and live?  Those are the crucial questions.

        Jesus told a parable about two who went up to the temple to pray:  a Pharisee and a tax collector.  As we know from the parable, the good man, the Pharisee, ended up condemning himself, while the bad man, the tax collector, was saved.

This could be called a “Reversal of Fortune”; it is the ultimate reversal.  The two were as different as they could be.  One had everything and appeared to be on his way to heaven . . .  but he never made it.  The other appeared to have nothing to recommend himself to God . . .  but he ended up saved.  The one who looks so good ends up looking bad; the one who looks so bad ends up looking good.

How can that be?

        To conclude the parable, Jesus said, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

        It is always wrong to ultimately trust in your own goodness and always right to ultimately trust in Jesus, to trust in God who came. 

A man of means meets the Master and sees that he must surrender what hinders him from following Jesus.

        We may have to surrender money to follow Jesus.

        Money is not the root of all evil but it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.  We get confused when we equate money with the bad and ugly.  Money, its accumulation and use, can be quite bad and ugly but only as we allow money to have sway over us; to control our waking and sleeping; to cause us to do everything in our power to get money and yield its influence; to put money in all its form before worshipping and serving God.

        It is as Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve money and God (Luke 16:13).”

        We may have to surrender loved ones to follow Jesus.

        A man was asked which he loved more:  his wife or Jesus.  The man thought for a little while and then replied, “I love my wife more.”

He put his love of earthly companionship and spouse before love of the Lord.  Thus, when it came down it, he would choose wife over Jesus.

        This sort of affection is not uncommon and not uncommonly the test of faith.  We know of Christians who have had to choose between family and God.  They were forced to choose one over the other.  Which would it be?

        Jesus said, “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of Me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And whoever does not take his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:37-38).”

        We may have to surrender our homes, and/or lands, to follow Jesus.

        People of Christian faith have had to leave the place they call home to be home with Jesus, with Jesus now and with Jesus forever.  Eventually to be with Jesus means we will leave everything we call home here to be at home with Him there.  Even before that happens we may have to leave a place of comfort and peace to be His disciples, working our way with Him through the highways and byways of life.

        We may have to surrender acceptability (be persecuted) to follow Jesus.

        We may have to surrender our lives to follow Jesus. 

A man of means meets the Master and understands that to reject Jesus means sorrow.

        After the rich young ruler was challenged to give up his great wealth to follow Jesus, to have treasure in heaven, he was disheartened and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

        The man of means was not able to sing to Jesus in his heart and was very sorrowful.  God brings joy to us as we’re able to sing to Him from deep within ours. 

CONCLUSION

        We are not heroes; we believe in the Lord.  Jesus loves us in whatever state we find ourselves in.  Without Jesus we are missing what is most important.  We thought ourselves to be right about many things and, praise the Lord, Jesus has turned us around to the truth.  We have surrendered much to be the followers of Jesus and know it has been and is worth every sacrifice and more.  Instead of sorrow, we have experienced joy of the spirit knowing Jesus as our Jesus.

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold

I'd rather be His than have riches untold
I'd rather have Jesus than houses or land

I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain
And be held in sin's dread sway

I'd rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today

Pastor Allan  

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – October 5th Devotional 

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honour me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.” Psalm 23:4,5 (NLT)

As I read this passage this morning, what struck me about it is that even as the psalmist, David, is talking about being in a frightening place – in the KJV, it is translated as ‘the valley of the shadow of death’ – he still recognizes that his cup is overflowing with blessings. The greatest blessing of all was the presence of God, who gave him the ability to say, ‘I will not be afraid.’

Many things cause us to be afraid. In Bible study last week, Overcoming Fear with Faith, we had a lighthearted moment where we talked about things that we’re afraid of, with snakes and spiders topping the list!

We could say that we’re living in days of unprecedented fear, but I’m sure every generation must feel that way about the challenges of their ‘modern day’, travelling a road where there seems to be no map or GPS. World wars, the Cold War, the Cuban missile crisis…the list goes on.

For some among us, the fear is of growing old. For many years, our society has valued youth and vitality, to the point where both women and men will take measures and spend money to try to halt the process, or at least, mask it well. Yet the fear goes deeper than appearance. The questions arise: how will I manage? Can I afford to live? Will I be alone? Will I be mobile? Will I have all my faculties? While these are all valid questions, and deserve preparations as we are able, it is the presence of our Heavenly Father that will keep us safely comforted, as David attested, for He is always close beside us. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4:8

And there are some among us who are at the other end of the spectrum, still raising children, still responsible for their physical and spiritual welfare. Many of us are grandparents, aunties and uncles. These days, in particular, are days of great concern and cause them, and all of us, to press in to the Lord for His guidance, wisdom and comfort. 

When Corrie Ten Boom was expressing her fears to her father during their unprecedented days in WW2 Holland, her father said to her, “Corrie, when we are taking the train to Amsterdam, when do I give you the ticket?” Corrie answered, “Just before we go through the gate.” Her father’s wise counsel: God gives us the strength we need just as we need it. 

He doesn’t give us tomorrow’s strength, just today’s, and that causes us to press in close to Him in complete dependence. “I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.” 

Angela  

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – September 25th Devotional

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!” Psalm 139:13-17

The saying, “Be yourself, everyone else is taken!” is attributed to several different authors. Regardless of who wrote it, who can argue? So, too, with another saying attributed to a number of authors: “Comparison is the thief of joy.”

As the scripture portion above tells us, each one of us is uniquely designed and created by our Heavenly Father, with our personality, gifts and talents. Yet, sometimes, rather than enjoy who we were created to be, we compare ourselves to others and come up sadly lacking, as if God has defrauded us in some way.

“I would rather be what God chose to make me than the most glorious creature that I could think about; for to have been thought about, born in God’s thought, and then made by God is the dearest, grandest and most precious thought in all thinking.” George MacDonald, Scottish author and preacher.

By NOT recognizing how God has gifted us, we deny His goodness. Recognizing our gifts and talents is not conceited; rather, it is the way of acknowledging the generosity of our Heavenly Father, and through the grace of the Lord Jesus and power of the Holy Spirit we dedicate our unique selves to be used to God’s glory.

Angela 

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – September 9th devotional

Jesus said (John 16:33):  “In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

We seek for certainty.  We want to know that what we are doing is going to produce the best result for us and others.  But how can we know things and the future for certain when the world is turned upside down and we struggle to trust others, ourselves, and often enough our God?

Gladys Aylward was a missionary to China during the desperate days of war in the 1940s.  She was forced to flee when an invading army swept into her province of that country.  But she could not leave her work behind.  With only one assistant, she led more than a hundred orphans over the mountains to freedom.

In their book, The Hidden Price of Greatness by Ray Besson and Ranelda Hunsicker, we find an account of their journey.

During the journey to freedom Aylward grappled with despair as never before.  After passing a sleepless night, Aylward faced the morning with no hope of reaching safety.  A thirteen-year-old girl in the group reminded her of their much loved story of Moses and the Israelites crossing the Red Sea.

“But I am not Moses,” Gladys cried in desperation. “Of course you aren’t,” the girl said, “but Jehovah is still God!” When Gladys and the orphans made it through, they proved once again that no matter how inadequate we feel and in reality are, God is still God, and we can trust in Him.

Everett Koop put it succinctly writing, “We grow and mature spiritually through adversity—not when everything is going smoothly . . . In a time of adversity or trouble, the Christian has the opportunity to know God in a special and personal way.”

There comes the moment in every Christian’s life when they cannot trust in others or themselves as once they did but going deeper with Jesus, who was and is God with us, deeper with God our Father in heaven, and deeper with God the Holy Spirit we find we can trust God in life and even in death. 

Jesus said (John 14):  “Let not your hearts be troubled.  Believe in God; believe also in Me . . . I go to prepare a place for you.  And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also . . . I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me . . . I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him.  You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

What a great promise for each one of us who trusts in the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are not alone in this struggle of ours, not alone when trial and tribulation arrive at our doorsteps, not alone when facing the darkness and the uncertainty of it all.  We have the Holy Spirit with us.  We have the Spirit of Jesus, God with us, dwelling within us.

We are not God and should stop trying to act as if we are.  However, we have the Spirit of God dwelling within us.  Take heart.  Trust in the Lord and keep trusting in the Lord.  God is still God and He is still our God.  He is leading us through and leading us home.

Pastor Allan  

From the desk of Pastor Allan and Angela Walker – September 7th Devotional

In John 11, we read the account of the death of Lazarus, brother to Mary and Martha, and friend of Jesus. When Lazarus became sick, the sisters sent a poignant message to Jesus: “Lord, your dear friend is very sick.” 

The account goes on to say that, loving the little family as he did, Jesus nevertheless stayed two more days where he was before starting on the trek to Bethany. By the time he and his disciples arrived, Lazarus was dead and buried, already four days in the grave. 

When Martha heard Jesus was near she left all the clamour of the house, where guests and mourners were gathered, went out to meet him and said, “Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

In essence, Martha was saying, “Jesus, you could have prevented this from happening. But you didn’t, so what now?” 

How often do we look to God – Jesus – to be the one to prevent all the terrible things in the world from happening? It’s commonplace to hear, “Why does God allow all these things to happen?” Yet, for reasons beyond our grasp, God chooses not to major in prevention. 

We can learn something very important from believers in lands where to be a follower of Jesus is to invite persecution, ostracism and even death. They ask that we in ‘the West’ pray not that they will be spared suffering but that God’s mighty power will keep them steadfast in the midst of the suffering and help them to be faithful even if it means their death. They accept that prevention is unlikely, but redemption and resurrection are promised through Jesus Christ.

All the suffering and trouble in the global world, and in our individual ‘daily world’, was predicted by Jesus. “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” 

The message is clear. In Jesus Christ, we are empowered to endure and persevere through it all, and in Him, we are overcomers. 

In Martha’s second sentence above, she says, “But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask.”

In His prayer for His disciples in John 17:15-20 Jesus prays, “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep the