The Life that God Blesses
I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart! -Psalm 119:32 The imagery here is striking. We would expect the Psalmist to say, “I walk in the path of your commands,” for that’s the usual Hebrew expression for going in God’s way. But to run along a path is to have that way so straight and so removed of obstacles, ambiguities, and sudden turns that it’s safe to move at a rapid pace. So it is in the
Finish the Race
However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. -Acts 20:24 One of the marks of the apostle Paul’s life was that he knew exactly what his purpose was. The Good News of the Gospel utterly controlled him. He believed it, loved it, preached it, and defended it often at the risk of his
From the Pastor: The Quest for Happiness
On my way to an early morning church meeting, realizing I was 20 minutes early, I pulled off the traffic-jammed El Camino Real, found a place to park on a side street, and turned off the engine. I then sat back to think of the busyness of the day ahead of me. Suddenly, a man about 35 years old burst out of the front door of his small house on the other side of the street, with his two little sons,
A Christian Life: Don’t Take It for Granted!
I hope you spent a wonderful Christmas day celebrating the joyful event of Jesus’ birth. Because of his birth, regardless of whatever situation we are currently facing, we can take Jesus’ promise to heart, “with God all things are possible.” On Christmas Eve, I turned on the faucet and was greeted with tepid water. This began a series of unfortunate events and made for spells of tremendous surprised yells and outbursts of laughter from my family. The water progressed from tepid
The Gift of Family and Friends
So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. -Genesis 1:21 For most of us, we are very aware of the joy of family and friends at Christmastime. I particularly enjoy attending worship services in places where winter days bring snow and freezing temperatures. The bleak weather outside makes for a startling contrast to
Jesus: The Star of Our Show
This Sunday, 13 December, we are excited to be celebrating our annual Christmas pageant—the reenactment of the “incarnation of God” in human form. In Luke 1:46-55, when we read the Song of Mary, we hear the amazing message that this story is not only about God’s mercy and love for Mary and Joseph, but for all whom God calls from generation to generation. The point that Luke wants us to learn from this passage is that Jesus is the star of
The Promised Messiah
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. -Genesis 49:10 Jacob’s astounding prophecy regarding his son Judah in the above verses, long before Jesus’ birth, has been regarded as a prediction that the Messiah will descend from the tribe of Judah. At the time, there was no tribe of Judah. There was only Judah, his son. So how did Jacob know that,
From the Pastor: The Lord’s Purpose Prevails — What A Relief!
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. -Proverbs 19:21 What a relief! We live on God’s earth. We aren’t limited to or trapped by the self-serving schemes cooked up by others. Too often, we grow jaded or discouraged watching people dream up get-rich-quick schemes, manipulating others for their personal gain. They plan to lavish themselves with luxury and pleasure with little regard for those who will suffer because of their selfish desire
From the Pastor: Hey Jealousy!
“You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God…” -Exodus 20:4–5a Jealous? How can God, the perfect Creator of the universe, be jealous? We tend to think of jealousy as a flaw in one’s character. And in human history jealousy has been a root
From the Pastor: I Love A Good Debate
“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. -Isaiah 1:18 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. -Psalm 33:11 I once heard a man begin his prayer like this: “Lord, if you really think about it
