DANCING IN THE RAIN

I’ve heard it said that we can spend a lot of time praying for sunshine, when we just need to learn to dance in the rain.  How can this be done?  Well, it all depends on who your dance partner is.  One 70′s song says, “I hear laughter in the rain, walking hand in hand with the one I love.”  It all depends on whether I choose to set my heart on the rain or on the one who is the lover of my soul – Jesus!  It doesn’t matter how the events and circumstances around our life happened, our response is to be the same.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”  1 Thessalonians 5:18 [NASB]

“Be grateful in each experience of life …”  The Message

We are not told to give thanks for all circumstances, but to give thanks in all circumstances.  Our emphasis is to be on Jesus and the giving of thanks to Him.  This is not meant to just be a cold, sterile, academic response to some religious doctrine, but to lift our head and gaze into the eyes of our living savior and praise Him for who He is.  To truly see from the vantage point of the finished work of redemption is to praise Jesus even in the midst of adversity around us, not just in the absence of it.

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of our lips that give thanks [confess] to His name.”  Hebrews 13:15

The word for give thanks is “homologeo” and it means to speak the same as another, agreeable to truth; public acknowledgement.  To give thanks in all situations is for us to acknowledge and agree with all that God has said about Himself, His love, His redemption – who He is . . . and this is no matter what the condition of things around us.  We may not be able to change the stuff happening or even how we feel – but we can praise, we can speak the truth of what the Lord says about Himself and of us in Him.  We can choose to dance . . . He promises to lead.

When we choose to give thanks to the Lord instead of saying and reciting in our minds just what we think we see through our situations, the Lord shows off His peace that passes understanding, His love that will not let us go, His grace that is more than enough.  Sometimes we may feel overwhelmed and in over our head, but the good news is we are not in over the Lord’s head and that’s all that matters.  Can you hear it? . . . it’s the sound of laughter in the rain (Psalm 126:2).

Love in Christ,

Pastor David Hughes

REGIFTING FORGIVENESS

‘Tis the season . . . gift giving goes into overdrive this time of year.  The search is on for that needed gift – we scan the malls and discount stores, we search online and some even practice something known as regifting.  This is when someone takes a gift they received at some point that they have just never used, and then wrap it up and give it to someone else – a re-gift.  There are rules and etiquette for regifting, there are regifting websites and there is even a national regifting day.  Now I’m not here to weigh in on the regifting debate, so whether you are for it or against it, I’ll leave that up to you.  But, I do want to use it to illustrate a great truth of our life in Christ.  We are in fact called to be regifters in Christ . . . Matthew 10:8 says,

” . . . freely you received, freely give.”  [NASB]

” . . . you have been treated generously, so live generously.”  [The Message]

The lifestyle of the Holy Spirit through us is one of passing on to others what we have been given so freely in Christ.  But we cannot give what we do not know we have.  So, 1 Corinthians 2:12 says we have received the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.  The great thing is when we give love, compassion, grace and forgiveness – we still keep the gift also.  How?  Because it is endless and everlasting!  For instance, there can never be such a demand on God’s forgiveness that it runs out.  Total forgiveness of our sins through the blood of Jesus is a priceless gift – and forgiveness is in fact one of the greatest gifts we can give others.  Ephesians 4:32 and Colossians 3:13 say . . .

“Forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.”  [NASB]

“Freely forgiving each other, even as God through Christ graciously forgave you.”  [Blackwelder translation]

We will give forgiveness to others in the same way we believe we received it from the Lord.  Those that believe that through their performance and merit they gain God’s forgiveness will in turn withhold forgiveness toward others until it is rightfully “earned”.  We will never give forgiveness based on our natural ability to give it or someones worth to receive it.  But if we will look to the cross and see the magnitude of what God has forgiven us of through Christ we can do no less than forgive others through the love of God that has been shed abroad in our hearts.  To forgive someone is not saying that what they did was right, it is saying that what Jesus did is greater.  So may we by the power of the Holy Spirit take the love, compassion, grace and forgiveness we have received in Christ and regift it to all those around us.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas,

Pastor David Hughes

UNDERSTANDING GRACE – Part 2

We began looking in last month’s Heart to Heart at our need to grow in our understanding of the grace of God.  Paul began and ended every letter he wrote with attention to grace (and frankly all in between also).  A focus on Jesus and the cross is always a focus on the grace of God.  In Colossians 1:6 we read …

“[the gospel] is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth.”  (New American Standard Version)

“the gospel which has come to you . . . bearing fruit and increasing, just as it has done among you ever since the day when you learned of God’s gracious favour and truly recognized it for what it is.”  (Cassirer translation)

To recognize grace for what it is we need to see Jesus for who he is and what he has done.  Grace has no true definition outside of the person of Jesus.  Also, we cannot bear fruit without an understanding of grace – it is the only way it shows up through our lives.  As we ponder a few thoughts about grace, each time you see the word grace, interchange it with the name Jesus – the truth does not change, it actually becomes clearer.

As we saw last month, there are two extremes that the ignorance of grace can give way to – legalism and fleshly license.  I’ve heard some say if you preach grace you will just give people a license to sin.  First of all, people have been sinning long before you “gave them a license.”  Secondly, it is actually the grace of God that teaches us to deny ungodliness (Titus 2:12).

 “Sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace.”  Romans 6:14

The law does not bring freedom.  Legalism is rampant in so much of the teaching to the church and the teaching of the law stirs up the sinful passions of the flesh (Romans 7:5).  Legalism actually gives fuel to the very thing that it says it will bring a stop to.  We are not under the law.  William Newell puts it this way . . .

“To speak of a believer’s being ‘under the law to Christ’ would be no more true than to say that your hand has a set of external rules by which it obeys your head and seeks to render itself pleasing to you!  No, your hand is en-lawed to your head, in that it is one with your head.”

Although, not under the law . . . we are under grace.  To be under is to be in subjection to, to have dependence upon.  To be subject to grace it to still have something (someone) to control, compel, govern and animate us.  It’s just not a law – it’s a life.  I’ve been sharing with those in our fellowship for years that the new covenant is not about a new set of laws to keep, it is about finding the life that will keep us.  The life of the Spirit in and through us is the fruit of understanding and trusting God’s grace.  Grace and legalism don’t mix . . . but grace is not just passive or permissive either.

“As sin reigned in death even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus our Lord”  Romans 5:21

Grace reigns!  That means that sin does not master us because we are not under the law, but righteousness is to master us because we are under grace.  Just because we are not under the law does not mean we are not under anything.  We are to be subject to the reign of grace.  We are not to be mastered by the law, but be animated by a life! ~ Jesus is the life!  Any aspect of our relationship with the Lord we view outside of grace, we are viewing outside of the person of Jesus and there is just no life there.  He is how grace works.

Love in Christ,

Pastor David Hughes

UNDERSTANDING GRACE – Part 1

Grace is a truth that is central to our faith in Jesus.  The more we understand grace the more we can truly experience our relationship with Him.  If we reduce grace to merely a doctrine or a “message” we can end up with intellectual theology that has no life.  If we view grace just in terms of being passive or permissive we can end up with a display of fleshly liberty.  I was once asked by someone, “How do we balance grace?”  The real issue is not that we need to know how to balance grace, it’s that we need to understand grace.

An immature christian who doesn’t understand grace may give liberty to the flesh and call it their freedom.  A legalist who doesn’t understand grace demands the keeping of rules and regulations to keep us in line.  Grace does not give carnal liberty, nor does it need help from the law to “keep us in line”.

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”  John 1:17 NASB

Grace is best understood in the person of Jesus – and He doesn’t need something else to “balance” Himself.  His life in us is more than enough to live through us.  I certainly don’t understand everything about the grace of God – I simply offer the insights I believe the Lord has shown us from His word.

I know some who embrace a legalistic mindset – haven’t we all?  The desire in many is to see Godly character and life displayed – but because of not understanding grace, they bring in the law, rules and regulations, condemnation, . . . external things to help keep us in line – to help make us behave.  There is a real fear that we will not “act right”.  So, that is what legalism produces . . . actors.  The law never connects us to Jesus and it never produces life.  It simply makes a demand and then condemns us when we fail.  Legalism doesn’t have enough confidence in the Holy Spirit within us, so it erects external boundaries and presses from without to form us into the image of Jesus.  The problem is it is an image as defined by legalism, and not Jesus Himself.  Legalism reads the book, but misses the point . . .

“You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”  John 5:39,40

Another extreme to not understanding grace is giving liberty to the flesh and calling it freedom.  This mindset leads us to “saddle up” the flesh and ride it wherever we want to go and claim it is our right to do so.  This person will simply throw up a hand in your face and say, “you can’t condemn me, I’m not under the law.”  Although this is true – it is not the whole truth . . .

“What shall we say then?  Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase?  May it never be!  How shall we who died to sin still live in it?”  Romans 6:1,2

Those with this mindset and those with a legalistic mindset are always at a war of words – claiming validity for their belief by pointing at the error in the other camp.  Yet, neither of these mindsets truly embrace Jesus or understand grace – both leave us void of experiencing real relationship with Jesus as He desires.

Lord, help us to understand grace – for your grace stands alone . . . and your grace reigns!

To be continued next month . . .

Love in Christ,

Pastor David Hughes

This month’s Heart to Heart is written by Jim Eldred.  Through the years the Lord has spoken to Jim and given him “one-liners” that remind him of the things the Lord has shown him and taught him over the years.  With Jim’s permission, we share one of those with you this month.

ETERNITY DOES NOT START WHEN I DIE

My sister had sent our extended family an e-mail letting us know of the unexpected death of one of our mother’s closest and long time friends. As she had recently lost others in her family and her daughter had just suffered a ruptured appendix (which could very easily have resulted in her passing too), my sister added a thought provoking addendum to the e-mail.  It was one of those things that make the rounds on the internet.  Briefly, it went like this: The author of this addendum had a friend whose wife unexpectedly passed away.  In gathering some of his wife’s clothing to take to the funeral home, the man found some extra nice things that, while purchased seven or eight years before, had never been worn.  His wife was saving them for a special occasion “someday.”  The widower told his friend the author, “Never save something for a special occasion.  Every day in your life is a special occasion.”  The writer then went on to give many examples of how this had changed her life – of the many things she did as though each day were her last.  They were excellent examples of how we should live.

What this triggered in my mind, however, was a phrase that God had begun to work into my life: “Eternity does not start when you die.”  Intellectually, I have always understood eternity to stretch forever in both directions – the past as well as the future.  But for some reason, I have always looked upon spiritual eternity as out in the future – that future after physical death.  But recently, God had been helping me reconcile my worldly understanding of eternity with my spiritual view of it.   As I reread my sister’s e-mail, I felt led to write her back with what God was saying to me about eternity and our physical lives. And as I wrote the following, God began to clarify things for me:

“Your e-mail addendum is true on many levels and touches on something that I have just been beginning to really take in and understand.  The truth is that eternity is not some future, but a forever now.  This moment, this instant is eternity.  The concept has many implications for me in all of my relationships – especially my brotherhood/friendship/servanthood with Jesus.  It truly is not someday when that relationship will finally be fulfilled.  It is today.  It is in this moment.  Life is good right now!  It doesn’t matter the circumstances that surround me, I am satisfied with Him.  Physical pain doesn’t impact the quality of my life in any given moment.  The inability to physically do things that I used to does not alter who I am in eternity.  Nor does it change who I am right now.  In spite of (in some ways because of) these things I am experiencing abundant life in this very moment.  The love of Christ is more real to me right now than it has ever been!”

As I wrote, I recalled a verse that we Charismatics used to sing as a chorus in the 70′s: “This is the day that the Lord has made.  I will rejoice and be glad in it!”(Psalm 118:24).  The realization that now, this moment, is the moment of my salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2), my redemption, my reconciliation, my forgiveness, my right standing with God, began to flood through me.  I continued the letter.

“Right now, in this instant, I am richly blessed.  I can share Jesus’ love with you, my sister!  I am comfortably situated and well and diversely fed. I am well clothed and amply housed. I am living this moment with a faithful, interesting, and intelligent spouse who also knows and loves God.  Right now, there are people in whom I am interested, love, and who care about me.  As I type this, I am challenged by the mystery of God’s incredible love.  At the same time, I am comforted by the absolute certainty that this love for us is real.  I live with an endless list of blessings that touch me right now.”

While I have long believed that heaven is a real place, I have associated it with forever experiencing the presence and glory of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.  This always brings to my mind a vision of His throne of Grace surrounded by the Crystal Sea and covered with the emerald rainbow.  It includes the presence of the saints casting their crowns of glory back up to our Lord while crying, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord most high.”  I always see and hear the host of heaven in its praise and worship of the Holy One.  But at the center of my concept of heaven is always the overarching presence of God Himself.  To me, His omnipresence not withstanding, heaven is where God is.

At the same time, I have understood and accepted that I am the dwelling place of the Lord.  The Holy Spirit lives in me (2 Timothy 1:14).  I am His tabernacle.  He is Christ in me, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).  And yet I had never connected His abiding presence in my life with my view of eternal heaven.  As I continued writing my sister, the reality of His presence at each and every moment of my life became overwhelmingly clear.  Eternity, even heavenly eternity, does not start when I die.  It is right now.  My eternity is and always will be the current moment, the immediate circumstance, and present relationships.  And so I wrote:

“The point of the e-mail message is eternally true: We should live life fully focused on each and everyday; do so with grace and kindness: for tomorrow may never come.  But it is not just for worldly things that we must enjoy and live in the moment. It is also for the spiritually eternal.  During our pilgrimage through this life, we should be sure to experience the sensations and richness of every moment. But doing so WITH Jesus not only adds to the experience, it makes right now part of eternity. We CAN experience a heavenly life right here and right now!  Not just one day or someday.”

As I sensed that this episode of awareness and awakening was beginning to wane, I looked back over what I had written.  I realized that these few lines and the minutes they took were meant more for me than for my sister.  I had said more than I intended but less than I felt.  I wanted to sum up this still sketchy concept by expressing the greatest reality and certainty of my life.  And I ended as follows:

“No one knows their appointed time. Jesus told us we should neither care for the future nor abide in memories of the past but live for today (Matthew 6:29-34).  As Paul said “to live is Christ, but to die is gain!” (Philippians 1:21).  Having this truth, I know that my eternity is right now.  If I live or if I die, I still stand in eternity with my Savior right now.”

The idea of eternity is beyond the grasp of most mortal human minds.  Like omnipresence, omnipotence, and all transcendent concepts, things like eternity, by definition, cannot be delimited or contained.  Therefore, their relative significance to everything else that we see, measure and know cannot be absolutely determined.  Such is the great mystery of God.  Yet, while I know that I only see in part (and that “through the glass darkly”), I am comfortable with seeing eternity as a “forever now.”

When walking in this life model where now is all there is, I find things much easier and much more enjoyable.  How might your life change if you were to accept that you are living eternity right now?  What if there is no tomorrow but only today? Like the lady who wrote the addendum to my sister’s email, would you do anything differently?  Think about it … and pray about it.  It is worth considering.

I close this piece about eternity the same way I closed the letter to my sister.

“May you find joy in every moment!”

 In His love,

Jim

ARE YOU ATTEMPTING A BREECH BIRTH?

The Lord has been reminding me lately of a thought, an analogy He showed me more than a decade ago.  I am one who has always been helped by a picture or example to help understand what the Lord wants to say.  Jesus spoke using parables, Paul and other writers used analogy and pictures to convey the truths of God’s word.  I’ve often said that for the simple, God must make it simple – that sure includes me . . . and you.  The truth is, we don’t think, imagine and reason in words, but in pictures and images.  If you could open our minds to see them they would not look like a dictionary full of words, but like a great movie full of grand scenes and images that engage our desires in one way or another.  The word the Lord spoke in my heart was that so often there are those in the body of Christ that have a “breech birth” mentality.

So what does this mean?  Well, naturally speaking, a breech birth is when a child is born feet first.  This is very rare, but it has been done – but in our spiritual analogy, it is impossible.  You might say that in Christ it is always head first.

As this is explained, first we must realize that if we are a child of God we are a new creation in Christ.  We are complete in Him – we are made righteous in Christ, we are forgiven, we have the very life of God in spirit giving us a brand new identity.  He gave us His very nature.  So the issue is having what is true of Christ in us and us in Christ being manifested and expressed by the Holy Spirit.

So with the analogy of a birth we are not talking about an infant being born, but of the very heart and nature of Jesus in love and compassion and true Godly charatcter showing up through us.  The dilemma with a “breech mentality” is we try to produce the walk of Jesus (a.k.a. the feet) first instead of what must come before it.  The order is head first, then the shoulders, then the body (the heart) . . . the feet will naturally follow.  Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you that was in Christ . . .”  We see the importance of the renewing of our mind (Romans 12:2) and the eyes of our understanding being flooded with light (Ephesians 1:18).  Isaiah 9:6 says the government (rule; authority) will rest on His (Jesus’) shoulders – He carries it all.

The simple truth I hope we see is that if we let the Holy Spirit truly renew our minds to the truth of the gospel of Jesus and redemption, if we simply yield to the love and authority of Jesus to carry us, if we allow the heart and desires of Jesus to overtake us – the walk will naturally follow through the power of the Holy Spirit.  This is grace in action!

You see, the Holy Spirit always puts the focus on the head, who is Jesus!  That we might see with His mind, that we might yield to His love and authority and desires, and the walk of Jesus will be seen – this is the only way, by the Holy Spirit.  Religion and legalism always put the focus on our feet first and demand a certain behavior and character of walk, but being unable to provide what they demand they can only stand in condemnation and judgment of us when we don’t meet their standard.

I’m glad our Heavenly Father accepted the sacrifice of Jesus as the standard of our acceptance in Him.  The new covenant was not about God making demands on our behavior and conduct to be accepted, but about God giving provison to us – for salvation, for forgiveness, for new spiritual life in Him, a renewed mind, new desires of heart  . . . and yes, a Godly walk also, but only by grace!  Always remember, our walk can’t lead us into a place of righteousness and acceptance with God, but His gift of righteousness given to us in Christ will lead to the only true expression of His walk through us.

Love in Christ,

Pastor David Hughes

HE KNOWS MY NAME

We live in a world where so many people feel like they have been just lost in the crowd – unless you owe money, and then they find you.  There is mass transit, mass media, mass communication and don’t forget mass marketing.  People want something personal, they long for custom-made.  Have you ever tried those clothes that say “one size fits all”?  Fits all? . . .  really?  Then there is the customer service help line – it’s automated.  If you do get connected to a real person they need your account I.D., member number, credit card number, . . . with tens of thousands of customers, who could really know them all by name?  Is there anyone who could truly give everyone a personal, custom fit, know me by name relationship?

“The shepherd calls the name of each one of his sheep and leads them out.”  John 10:3 [Simple English Bible]

We see in several places that Jesus is our great shepherd [John 10:11; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25].  To Him this is all very much about each individual.  When Jesus was on the cross taking our judgment and paying for our sin it was for all, but it was not impersonal.  In the heart of our Heavenly Father the offer of His gift of salvation and new life is very personalized.

To have the creator of the universe, the Lord of salvation actually know me by name.  We are  born into the body of Christ, a multi-membered body, and yet we still have the uniqueness in which we were created.  Jesus’ relationship with each of us is custom-fit and intimate.

God doesn’t have some giant computer off in heaven that categorizes all His children according to some celestial I.D. number and a bio-sheet He can reference to remind Him of any important information about us.  We don’t call some automated angelic switchboard and hope to get through only to reach God’s voicemail – “please leave a message after the beep . . .”  This is not a long distance relationship.  No, by the Spirit He moved into us!

“For you are the house of God Himself.  He has told us what this means: I will live in them and express myself through them; I will be the source of all their needs and they will find their fulfillment through me.”  1 Corinthians 6:16 [Ben Campbell Johnson translation]

Jesus has promised “I will never leave you.  I will never forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5).   You are not alone, you are not without hope, because you are never without Him!  As a child of God, Jesus doesn’t just lose you in the masses of people.  He is present, joined with you in Spirit [1 Corinthians 6:17] to be your strength, your peace, your joy, your wisdom, . . . your all.  We don’t need to try to figure out how to fit Jesus into our life, we need to realize that in fact Jesus is our life.  With Jesus this is not at all about religion, it is personal! Wow!  He really does know my name!

He knows My Name by Tommy Walker [click link to hear this song]

Love in Christ,

Pastor David Hughes

TASTE AND SEE

Have you ever watched a cooking show . . . while you were hungry?  You can almost convince yourself that you can smell the aromas of whatever is being prepared.  Your mouth begins to water and you wish you could climb through the T.V. and pull up a chair and dig in.  But we know that just watching a fine meal prepared maybe very enticing, but it is never fulfilling.  You might say that food was never meant to be a spectator sport – it calls for participation.  You could own all the cookbooks in the world and read and learn all about various dishes and ingredients and still starve to death.  This illustrates a great reality in our relationship with the Lord.

“O taste and see that the Lord is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge [trusts] in Him.”  Psalm 34:8 (NASB)

“By experience you will see that the Lord is good; happy is the man who has faith in Him.”  Psalm 34:8 (The Bible in Basic English translation)

So how do we taste and see?  We do this through faith, believing what the Lord has done, believing what He says – trusting Him!  If we desire to taste and see, we must trust Him.  Revelation and knowledge of Jesus without faith is like watching the cooking show - I can see it, but I don’t taste it and enjoy it.  The heart of our heavenly father has always been about relationship.  A relationship that changed our identity, that engages our heart, that defines our very being, that governs our life – a relationship that takes our breath away!

And here is some more good news – what we need to taste, we don’t have to cook up.  The Lord himself has prepared a table before us in the presence of our enemies (Psalm 23:5).  His table is set with bread and wine – this is a picture of His death, burial and resurrection.  The realities of life in Christ through redemption are not limited, there is so much that we have not yet realized and experienced.  We must never think that what some denomination or group offers is all there is, or that just what we see at this moment is the full spread of what’s on the table He has prepared.  He has so much more of Himself and what he has done that He wants us to experience.  I don’t ever want to settle for half-baked religion when the Holy Spirit wants to lead me to taste and see the fulness of who Jesus is through a real, genuine, no preservatives, no artificial flavors added, relationship! 

 ”Come and dine.” (John 21:12)

Love in Christ,

Pastor David Hughes

THE CLIMATE OF THE SPIRIT

How many of you remember the weather rock?  This is not to be confused with the pet rock, which was a completely different fad of its day.  The weather rock was to be placed outside and came with very simple instructions.  If you looked outside at the rock and it cast a shadow . . . it was sunny, if it was wet . . . it was raining, if it was white . . . it was snowing, and if it was gone . . . there was a hurricane.  It seems with this rock and these simple instructions you could gauge the climate and conditions of the world around you.  It was an interesting conversation piece and showed the uncertainty of the changing weather.

Uncertainty . . . that is one word that not only describes the weather, but the whole world around us.  We see it in countries, governments, economies, jobs, relationships, emotions, . . . the list seems endless.  You might say that the climate of the world around us is very unstable, and I am not refering to just the weather.  But the real issue is whether we allow all of these things to set the climate of our own hearts and minds.  Sometimes, believers have their own version of an “emotional” weather rock.  They look at world events, at the economy or reactions in other people and allow that to set the climate of their heart.  When this happens we are moved, not by Jesus, not by the Spirit, but by some external uncertainties.  Many of you are familiar with the scripture that says we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).  We are simply to trust in who Jesus is and what He has done.  He is the only rock we need to look to in order to see how our life really is.  For we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).  Jesus is our identity and He is heaven’s climate in the spirit of every believer.

The question I must answer is, do I believe that Christ in me (through the work of the cross) and the “climate” of His spirit (love, joy, peace, grace, . . . ) are greater than what I see around me?  The relationship of intimacy through the Spirit we have with Jesus not only anchors our heart, but will affect those around us – Jesus will transform individuals, families, communities, and even cultures.  It is not a time for the church of Jesus to look to a newspaper, or cable news network or any other “weather rock” in order to determine what is going on in regard to God’s agenda and purpose.  We need to gaze into the heart of the lover of our souls – Jesus!  I am not talking about sticking our head in the sand and denying what happens around us, but rather allowing the Holy Spirit to rise up in word and demonstration of a greater king and kingdom that is within.  Is Jesus’ love and grace and forgiveness enough for the individual who feels they have failed too many times and have given up?  Is the truth of Jesus greater than the lies of religions, legalism,  and all the other “isms” of this world?  Is it really true that greater is He that lives within you . . . ?  May we allow the climate of heaven, who is Jesus, to alter this world by His spirit in ways we cannot even think or imagine.  May we see His will be done on earth as it is in heaven!

Love in Christ,

Pastor David Hughes

THE ANCHOR OF OUR SOUL

We all desire safety and security, to know real peace and rest in our own hearts.  This desire leads people in a search in so many different directions.  Many believe if they get the right job and make enough money, or find the right spouse, or have prestige in the community this will all add up to the allusive sense of security and peace they want.  The list of things we can persue is endless, so it seems.  And yet, the world around us is so fickle in its promises – it is a false hope with no real guarantees.  If we attach our hearts to such things as our true hope, life becomes one wild emotional ride . . . and peace and security remain allusive.

If only there was real hope for peace, security and rest of heart.  If there was something or someone who could hold us when we can’t hold our life together, when we can’t control the situations around us, when our hearts and minds are scattered no matter how hard we try.  You can probably see where this is leading . . . to Jesus! He is the only true hope that never lets us down.  The book of Hebrews says that those who have received God’s promise of salvation and who have taken refuge in Him should take hold of the hope set before us.  Because . . .

“This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us . . .”  Hebrews 6:19,20a

Our hope is Jesus – who He is and what He has done in salvation.  We take hold of a hope which in reality has taken hold of us.  We can’t bring security to our life through any pursuits of our own.  We can’t even do it by holding on to Jesus with all our strength.  There is always something that can shake our grip loose.  But we can rest in the reality that Jesus has a grip on us that no one or nothing can pry loose.  It’s been said often, but warrents repeating, “it’s not my grip on Jesus, but His grip on me that brings real security and peace to my heart.”

Let’s not strain in our own strength, but let go in faith believing Jesus to be a sure and steadfast anchor no matter what appears around us.  It is not our great faith that secures us, but the great faithfulness of our Lord, the lover of our soul, that will not let us go.

Love in Christ,

Pastor David Hughes