Blessings out of Buffetings

I came across the poem that I thought I'd share with you.

Daryl


Oh tried and tested Christian,
Beset on every hand
By storms of strife, remember
Thy Father holds command!
E'en though the tempest rages,
Thy chastened heart may sing,
For He doth purpose blessing
Through all thy buffeting.

Be strong and of good courage,
Though foes thy soul assail.
No weapon formed against thee
Hath power to prevail;
For thou shalt share the triumph
Of Christ, thy conquering King,
Who purposes a blessing
Through all thy buffeting

Rejoice to be found worthy
Of suff'ring for His name,
Who on the cross of Calvary
Bore all thy weight of shame.
When He shall come in glory
His ransomed Home to bring,
Thou'lt know in full the blessing
Attained through buffeting!

Avis B. Christiansen

Your Love

I just returned from a prayer summit in McCall where about 40 pastors from Ontario to Boise to Twin Falls gathered for three days. Tuesday morning was spent meditating on and praising God for His love. We were given an assignment to write down what He showed us. This is what I wrote:

Your love is the fount of every blessing, the source of every healing, the wellspring of all forgiveness and all comfort. Your love is too vast to measure, too grand to comprehend, and beyond all comparison. How can we understand how You could love each one of us as You love Your own perfect Son? You have forever demonstrated Your love to us through sacrifice. How can we know the depths of pain Your heart endured to see the suffering of Christ? How can we know what self-restraint You exercised while they beat Him, mocked Him, and crowned His head with thorns? Yet You withheld Your wrath for objects of Your love who drove the spikes through His hands and feet. Had I been the one with hammer in hand You would love me no less than the One I nailed there. Indeed my sins fastened Him, yet You have attached Your love to me for all eternity. With this love You have accepted me in the Beloved, You have forgiven me of all my iniquities, You have justified and sanctified me. In Your love You have given me the desires of my heart, You have blessed me with blessings of wife and children and family of God. While I yet wait in sin-darkened corridors of this world for the fullness of redemption, I have only begun to taste these rich delicacies. What treasures of lovingkindness beyond all comprehension await us who have been the unworthy objects of Your affection? If in the land of shadows our heart beats with devotion at these things, then what will we experience in the New Jerusalem when Your glorious presence radiates day and night and Your lovingkindness is never obscured by sin, trials or demons? How will we ever measure the width, length, depth and height of Your love? Such questions are too great for man to answer. Yet I know that if I can but touch the hem of Your love I shall never be the same, and others I touch will feel the only force which exists that can transfigure slaves of sin into glorious sons of God!

Could This Be Your Day? (Mark 5:25-34)

A woman suffered the ravages of a blood hemorrhaging disease for twelve years. In desperation she spent all of her money on doctors, enduring their extensive treatments. But rather than getting better she had only grown worse. A side effect of this disease was that in her culture she was considered unclean and was isolated from human contact. Now she was sick, poor and alone. What hope did she have?

We may not understand why God permits some of His children to suffer so much for so long. Every door of hope seems to lead to a dead end until finally you find yourself in a dark room of hopelessness. There appears to be no way out. With all your might you fight despair, but the darkness creeps in, like water seeping into a sinking boat. For twelve years this woman suffered unspeakable pain and loneliness, but a window was about to open to her…

She had heard many stories about Jesus of Nazareth. He had the reputation of being a healer…perhaps a prophet. No problem seemed to be too difficult for Him. With a word He healed the sick, delivered the possessed from their demons, and performed many other miracles. Couldn’t He heal me as well? she thought. But surely I could not ask this holy man to touch me. That would defile Him and could get me in much trouble with the teachers of the Law. Maybe if I touch Him without anyone seeing…

Then the day came when He came to town! Multitudes were pressing in against Him. This seemed to be her only opportunity. She came up behind Him, trembling with fear, and touched His cloak with her hand. Immediately she felt the flow of blood within her stop and she knew that she was healed. It worked! She felt the power from this miracle man touch her in a way she had never before been touched.

Are you like this woman? Are you in a pit of despair? You’ve spent all that you have, doing everything you can think of to get yourself out, but things have only gotten worse. Now the darkness is creeping into your soul. You know you shouldn’t give in, but you don’t have the strength to fight it. But this could be the day of your visitation. You must see this as your great opportunity!

We do not know when our day will come. For twelve years this woman suffered; we may suffer for a considerable amount of time. We don’t know when He will come—only that He will come in due season. Then we must reach out in faith!

Believe that such a day exists for you. Now you are suffering in darkness and perhaps despair. But soon Jesus will cross your path. Then will be your moment to grab the hem of His garment. Though you feel you are unclean, though you feel you are unworthy, though you may be fearful, grab on with all your might, believing for His healing touch. This is your day!

The Way to Glory

Then the cloud covered the tabernacle of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. (Exodus 40:34 NKJV)

From the top of Mount Sinai the Lord instructed Moses in building a sanctuary so that He “could dwell among them.” Moses and the children of Israel built it to the specifications that the Lord gave. When everything was completed and arranged as the LORD had commanded, then the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle, and the Lord dwelt among His people.

Is there a lesson to be learned? We know that the things in the tabernacle were copies of heavenly things (Ex 25:40, Heb 9:23-24). Through the tabernacle God revealed the way that He was to be worshiped. The way into the sanctuary is the way we may approach God.

Imagine approaching this place of worship with me. There are seven stops along the way:

1. First, we come to the bronze altar--that place where atonement is made. The sacrificial offerings would be offered here—the sin offering, the burnt offering and the peace offering. This speaks of our way through the cross and the blood of Jesus Christ. He is our sin offering whose blood makes atonement for all our sins. He is our burnt offering, who offered Himself completely as “the Lamb of God.” And He is our peace offering who makes peace between God and us. It is meditation upon this complete work of atonement that gives us confidence in approaching God.

2. Second, we come to the laver or wash basin. Here the priests would wash their hands and feet before entering the sanctuary. Sacrificing animals was a bloody business, and it was necessary that they be washed clean before they could come near God. This points to the washing with water through the Word of God (Eph 5:26). Jesus told His disciples that they were clean by the Word He spoke to them (John 15:3). It is exposure to the Word that cleanses our thoughts, convicts us of sins, and shows us the way we should walk.

3. Next, we enter the sanctuary through the outer veil. Jesus said, “I am the door.” We cannot come to the Father except through Him.

4. As we enter the sanctuary we find the golden lampstand on the left. This provided light for the priests while they were ministering before the Lord. This represents the sevenfold Spirit of God (Isa 11:2, Rev 4:5) who shows us where to walk, providing us wisdom, counsel and power. His flame must never go out in our lives, for it is “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord” (Zech 4:6).

5. On our right hand we find the table of showbread, which pictures our Lord who is the Bread of Life. We realize that above all He delights to eat and commune with us (Rev 3:20). We pause here to rejoice in the blessed fellowship we have with Him.

6. Next, we come to the altar of incense, representing the prayers we offer to God. They are a sweet smelling aroma to Him and are to be offered daily (Ex 30:7, Ps 141:2, 1 Thess 5:17, Rev 8:4). Moreover, God delights in receiving them (Prov 15:8).

7. Finally, we come through the inner veil into the Most Holy Place where we find the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat. Only the high priest was allowed to enter here, and then only once a year on the Day of Atonement. We know that the thrice holy God (Rev 4:8) resides here over His Law, and so we see Him revealed in perfect justice. Yet we also find him above the Mercy Seat where the blood from the sin offering was sprinkled seven times on the Day of Atonement. Thus, we see God revealed in perfect mercy. It is here on the Mercy Seat that mercy triumphs over judgment. It is also here that the Shekinah, the glory of God, dwels among the people.

When Jesus died on the cross this veil was rent from top to bottom, thus opening the way into the Most Holy Place to every believer in Christ. Here we can meet with our Father at any time, communing with Him, casting our cares upon Him, and receiving from Him wonderful counsel and answers to our prayers.

When Moses and the children of Israel arranged all the furnishings of the tabernacle in their proper place the glory of God filled the temple. Likewise, as we meditate on these things and make them our prayer, the stage is set for true worship, and the Father can fill us with His glory.

If you find yourself struggling in how to approach God or in knowing what to pray, may I suggest that you approach Him through the way He has provided through the tabernacle? You may find that His glory will soon come and fill your temple to overflowing!

Pastor Daryl

"Consider It Pure Joy..." James 1:2-8

This past weekend I felt drawn to the first chapter of James. James wrote to people in anguish—to those who had fallen into "various trials." Even though they had fallen into these they had no control over them. No doubt if they could have bypassed them they would have. But trials have been set before all of us. They are the vegetables that the Father puts on our plates and says, "Eat." It is not my natural reaction to respond to eggplant with joy. Brussels sprouts do not rank highly on my list either. How does one find joy while eating these things?

James tells us that we can consider it pure joy when we face various trials, for we know that the testing of our faith develops perseverance. Now as a teacher at our school I have to give our students tests. It is always my desire that my students do well. It is my way of knowing whether or not they have really learned the material (and how effective I’ve been as a teacher). God gives us tests as well. The subject He is teaching us is faith. Indeed, without faith it is impossible to please God. How does God test us to see how much faith we have or how much we have grown in faith? He gives us trials. He tests us to see what we are really made of. He puts us through the ringer to show us what we really are. All the while He sees the finished product!

Now James tells us to rejoice because we know that the testing of our faith develops perseverance. Perseverance is that character quality that keeps going no matter what. "When the going gets tough, the tough keep going." James says that we can rejoice because not only is perseverance a good attribute to have, but it is necessary for us to become mature and complete. God wills that each of us has the perseverance of His Son Jesus. At the end of the course, James tells us that we will be "lacking in nothing." We will be strong, healthy, mature and complete…like Christ! Now that is something to be joyful about!

Moreover, God has promised wisdom for anyone going through trials who will ask for it. We may not be able to prevent falling into various trials, but we can be assured that God will give us sufficient wisdom to go through them with flying colors…if we will ask Him for the wisdom that we need. But James goes on to say that we must ask in faith without doubting. The one who asks for wisdom but then doubts is like the surf of the ocean, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect anything but seasickness!

So maybe, like me, you’ve fallen into various trials lately. You’ve been rolling around the Brussels sprouts on your plate wishing they’d disappear. My suggestion: eat them. Ask God for the joy that comes by His Spirit when we believe that our trials are for a good purpose. Seek His wisdom even as you chew and swallow and believe that He delights in giving it to you. Consider it pure joy! Even Brussels sprouts have their place in the life of grace!

Pastor Daryl

Breaking the Silence

After an extended hiatus I have returned to add more stuff to your Inbox and/or blog feed. This summer has given Cindy and me several opportunities for personal and ministerial enrichment. One of the highlights was attending the Billy Graham School of Evangelism in Tacoma, Washington the week after Ruth Bell Graham went to be with the Lord. Sensing a greater need for evangelism, Cindy and I were not disappointed. I have come away with a stronger sense of our calling with useful tools to win souls for the kingdom of heaven. As I have given myself to the Lord for this purpose, I have felt His quickening power when I preach. I am enthusiastic for what the Lord has planned for our fellowship as we seek to impact our community for Christ.

If you're like me, evangelism is a scary prospect. I don't always know what to say or when to say it. While I make the effort to share Christ with strangers, I can't say that I've seen much fruit from this. The success I have personally experienced in bringing people to Christ, and observed in the efforts of others, has been through relationships--specifically believers having friendships with unbelievers. Admitedly, this is a painfully slow process, making it possible to have only one, two or perhaps three such friendships at a time. The advantage of such a method is that it is something every Christian can do with amazing and lasting results. Do you know how to be a friend? Then you have what it takes, with the help of the Holy Spirit, to be successful in sharing your faith with a lost soul.

There's a world of people who are needy and perishing, without hope and without God. Jesus has shown His light upon us so that we can reflect it to others. Will you join me in prayer that God would use us to show His loving concern and salvation to those around us who don't know Him?

Pastor Daryl

Signs of the Times

Do you know what time it is? Jesus rebuked the religious leaders of the day because they did not recognize the days in which they were living.

He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times. (Matthew 16:2-3 NKJV)

God has not left us without warning as to the things to come. He has given us His Word so that we might recognize the signs preparing us for His coming.

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! (Matthew 24:32-33 NKJV)

In order to know what time it is we need to have the Bible in one hand, the newspaper in the other, and our head in between. I have found a very valuable resource to help with this. It's called Worthy News. Each weekday George Whitten, writing from the Negev Desert in Israel, compiles news links from a Christian perspective. He divides these into four categories: Around the World, Israel-Palestinian Conflict, Inside the United States, and Christian News. He also sends a daily email including these links plus an inspirational thought for the day.

For more info, visit their web page at worthynews.com . Select the "Email" menu if you would like to receive their daily newsletter.

Keep watching!

Pastor Daryl