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This is the day

9/25/2017

 
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“This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”  Psalm 118:24 is probably one of the best known verses in the Bible.  You have probably sung the chorus at least once in your lifetime.  

Psalm 118:24 is one of those verses that seems so basic we almost skip over it as if it’s automatic.  And yet I think many Christians struggle to do what the psalm says because some days are hard, like the one described in Zephaniah 1:15 -

That day is a day of wrath,
A day of trouble and distress,
A day of devastation and desolation,
A day of darkness and gloominess,
A day of clouds and thick darkness.

While we understand that each day is a gift from God, the challenge is how to rejoice and be glad when things go wrong.  We do that by reading the verse in it’s context, “I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation.  The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.  This was the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.  This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:21-24).

The psalm is prophetic and is obviously talking about Jesus.  While several New Testament passages quote the psalm in reference to Jesus, the clearest application is found in Acts 4:10-12,“Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.  This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’  Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

The Jews rejected Jesus because He wasn’t their idea of the Messiah.  So they crucified Jesus, but God raised Him from the dead. 

The day Psalm 118:24 is talking about is the day of Jesus’ death and resurrection.  This is the day the Lord has made.  This is the day in which we can rejoice.  This is the day that makes us glad.  This is the day that gives us strength now and hope for tomorrow.

Regardless of how our days go — whether they be easy or hard — we can rejoice and be glad because of all Jesus accomplished for us.

Pastor Todd Weston

A Modern Day Miracle

9/18/2017

 
Miracles!  We are surrounded by them.  This Sunday I will be talking about the miracles of life and how a day does not go by without us experiencing the miraculous.  But today I want to tell you about a modern day miracle and how God used it to touch our church and community.  

The story was told to me this morning by Mike, one of the assistant directors for Crisis Response International (CRI).  The story involves a man named Sean who is the executive director for CRI.  About three weeks before Hurricane Harvey hit Southeast Texas, Sean was prompted by the Lord with this message:  Contact a pastor by the name of Steve.  He pastors an Assemblies of God church somewhere on the west coast of Florida.  His church sits inland about 3 miles.  (See the picture of the sticky note where Sean quickly wrote)

That was it.  Sean had no idea who Pastor Steve was, where he pastored, or why he should contact him.  When Hurricane Irma formed and began tracking toward Florida it all made sense. So Sean put his people to work.  They soon found an Assemblies of God pastor in Venice, Florida named Steve Bradshaw.  It just so happens his church sits 3 1/2 miles inland.  In the meantime, Pastor Steve knew the hurricane was approaching.  Not knowing where to turn, he was in prayer asking God for guidance.  In answer to his prayer, Crisis Response International called and plans were made to go to Venice.

After hitting the Florida Keys, Irma made landfall on Marco Island as a category 3 hurricane.  It dropped to a category 2 as it worked its way north.  When it was all said and done, Venice escaped much of the damage at first anticipated.  So Pastor Steve called Sean and told him the good news.  And yet the prompting was still there for Crisis Response International to go to SW Florida.  That’s when Pastor Steve remembered some friends from Bible College days.  They pastored a church in SW Florida.  The name of the church?  River of Life Assembly of God in Estero.

That is how Sheri and I received the called from our friends Steve and Mary Beth Bradshaw.  And that is how God sent help to us in the form of Crisis Response International.  The words of Isaiah 65:24 come to mind, "I will answer them before they even call to me.  While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers!"

We are still in hurricane season, and as you know, other hurricanes are forming in the Atlantic.  One sister shared with me after Sunday’s service that the Lord impressed on her heart that He would protect us from further harm.  Amen, so be it!  This I know, we have experienced a modern day miracle.  To God be the glory!

Pastor Todd Weston
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Spiritual ruts

9/4/2017

 
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Spiritual ruts.  Have you ever been in one?  Sometimes you don’t realize you are there until you are there!  The symptoms are telling:  

  • The thrill has gone out of your walk with God
  • Your spiritual life has slipped into auto pilot
  • You serve out of a sense of duty, not joy
  • The things of God seem distant
  • A condition of dryness has set in to your soul
  • Rather than moving forward, life seems to be going in circles​

The question is once you are in a rut, how do you get out?  Here are a few suggestions.

1.    Appreciate the past but focus on the future

A person can a fall into a spiritual rut when they spend too much time looking back.  If we’re not careful, we can come to the depressing conclusion that our best days are behind us.  Living becomes existing.  Ironically, a dangerous time in a person’s life is when they achieve their goals.  Once the celebration of accomplishment is past, the haunting question rises, “Now what?”  To avoid falling into a rut, quickly set new goals.  Be thankful for the past, but live forward.

2.    Avoid rigidity and embrace flexibility

God is always doing a new thing!  We can fall into a spiritual rut when we dig in our heels and declare, “I shall not be moved.”  What we interpret as routine can become a rut if we’re not willing to embrace change.  I will be the first to admit change can be hard.  But when change is resisted, staleness sets in.  An attitude of contentment with the status quo is the kiss of death.  Getting out of a spiritual rut can begin by embracing flexibility and making some practical life changes.

3.    Act now and trust God​

When David found himself at a low point in life he strengthened himself in the Lord (1 Samuel 30:6).  To get out of the slump, you have to do something.  Take your devotional life for example.  Try mixing it up.  If your devotional life has gone dormant, resurrect it!  Then try reading out of a different version of the Bible.  Do a prayer walk or find some place outside to pray.  Mix up your actual prayers so you aren’t repeating the same things every day.  Among other things you can do, I would also suggest going on a missions trip.

Act now.  Do your part.  Then trust God to lift you out of that rut, instill a spirit of newness in your heart, and put anew song in your mouth (Psalm 40:1-3).  

Be encouraged by the fact that God does not abandon us when we find ourselves in a spiritual rut.  We may feel distant from Him, but He isn’t distant from us.  He has promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (James 13:5).  So initiate the process and, ”Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you“ (James 4:8).  Act now and before you know it that spiritual rut will be a thing of the past.

Pastor Todd Weston

    Pastor Todd

    Lead Pastor
    River of Life
    Assembly of God

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