Posts Tagged ‘relationship’

Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings

October 27, 2014

We will be voting soon, so:

Matthew 22:34-46:
When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. ’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it:‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

We Are Citizens of This World

In an invocation prayer at the United States Senate, Peter Marshall said, “Lord Jesus, Thou who art the way, the truth, and the life, hear us as we pray for the truth that shall make men free. Teach us that liberty is not only to be loved but also to be lived. Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books. It costs too much to be hoarded. Make us to see that our liberty is not the right to do as we please, but the opportunity to please, to do what is right.”

It is unthinkable that a Christian would not vote! It is unthinkable that Christians would not run for public office! It is unthinkable that Christians would withdraw from the responsibility of taking part in public life. The Christian has a responsibility to Caesar for all the privileges which the rule of Caesar brings. We are citizens of this world and must be good ones, if we are Christ’s disciples.

While we may not all be suited to public office, we must all vote. It is not only our right to go to the polls and vote but it is our responsibility as Christians to go vote our Christian values. I will not tell you who to vote for but I will tell you that if we love God with all our heart, soul and mind then we must reflect that love in the life we lead and the things we do to make life better for all of God’s children. For us as Christians we must not vote by party lines but for individuals who best reflect God’s will in this world. It is your choice, it is your conscience, it is your relationship with your God that will lead you to vote for who best reflects your relationship with God.

Have a blessed month in Jesus Christ,

Pastor Randy

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Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings

April 3, 2013

Church pictures 474

Our new roof. Looks good, huh! You can see the difference in the home page picture. No doubters around here about the work we had done. See my thoughts about a biblical doubter below.

Have you really ever thought about Thomas or his doubt. Maybe we need to look closer at who Thomas was and really what his faith was.

When Jesus turned his face toward Jerusalem the disciples thought that it would be certain death for all of them. Surprisingly, it was Thomas who said: “Then let us go so that we may die with him.” It was a courageous statement, yet we don’t remember him for that. We also fail to point out that in this story of Thomas’ doubt we have the one place in the all the Gospels where the Divinity of Christ is bluntly and unequivocally stated. It is interesting, is it not, that the story that gives Thomas his infamous nickname, is the same story that has Thomas making an earth shattering confession of faith? Look at his confession, “My Lord, and my God.” Not teacher. Not Lord. Not Messiah. But God! It is the only place where Jesus is called God without qualification of any kind. It is uttered with conviction as if Thomas was simply recognizing a fact, just as 2 + 2 = 4, and the sun is in the sky. You are my Lord and my God! These are certainly not the words of a doubter. These words exclaim his true belief. Just like Thomas don’t we often have doubts even though we still believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. When faced with tragedy don’t we look for proof that Jesus is still alive and with us.

Thomas got his proof. Have you gotten yours? Reach out to Jesus and see if He is still alive in your heart. Jesus is there with you and all you have to do is accept Him as your savior. Do it today! You will be one of those blessed because they have believed and even though they have not seen Him. Amen

Pastor Randy

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