Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
Psalm 19:13-14
February 15, 2023

Yesterday was “God Loves you Best Day”, or for others it was Valentines Day. One of the blessings I have on Tuesdays is sharing a worship time with some very fine folks in a senior living apartment complex. We enjoyed a time of singing and praying and engaged in a conversational message about how God loves us and wants us to love others. We were focused on 1 John 4:10; ”This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins”.  We even celebrated a wedding Anniversary on top of it all.

As I was driving home, I listened to a song by Steven Curtis Chapman; Love Take Me Over and I guess it just stuck while I was sleeping. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning and realized I had the subject for this week’s meditation – Love. Duh, Edith, pretty slow sometimes Steven Curtis Chapman shared in a video recording that he wrote this song shortly after the sudden death of his daughter Maria, and while he was praying with his other kids before school one day, he just broke out in a prayer that the Lord would guard his mind and mouth to be an example for his children and a blessing to others. He reflected on one of my favorite, yet challenging verses; Psalm 19:13-14; “Keep back your servant from willful sins, let them not have dominion over me, then will I be upright and innocent from great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength, my redeemer.”

It would seem that the only way we will ever truly love is when we remember how much God loves us and he loves everyone the same way, so we ought to do the same. Steven’s chorus to his song is part of his prayer; “Love, take these thoughts that I’m thinking, Love take these words that I’m speaking. Love take me over. Love fill up all of my space, stand right here in my place. Love hear this prayer that I’m praying, Love, Love take me over”.

AMEN!

February 8, 2023
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
John 14:26-27

I often need reminders, how about you? The dentist office calls me a few days before an appointment, they even send out a post card to remind me as well. The optometry clinic calls me a few days to remind me, the doctor’s office calls me a few days ahead to remind me, I make notes in my calendar to remind me, I even have ladies in my churches who text me to remind me of cards to send or visits to make. Wow! I can’t seem to function on my own, I need help remembering.

That is what the Holy Spirit does for believers in Jesus Christ, and I am very thankful. In the gospel of John, Jesus is preparing his disciples for the time when he will no longer be physically with them; “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26). Praise the Lord! He knows we need help and provides it, not just for appointments and communication, but for the greatest task ahead of us, the work of the Kingdom of God here and now.

I have been working through a study on the Holy Spirit and found this quote; “The phrase ‘remind you’ can mean ‘make contemporary.’” (Frederick Dale Bruner, The Gospel of John: A Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2012), 867. In other words, “The Spirit does more than repeat the words of Jesus; he makes them relevant. He unfolds their significance for the world in which we live” (Max Lucado, Help is Here, Thomas Nelson Press 2022, pg.22). Here’s a suggestion; Why not take some time today, and every day, to ask the Holy Spirit to remind you of what Jesus taught and direct you in your Bible to read again how much he loves you. There’s a promise that follows the above scripture for today; “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you what the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

I need that kind of peace, how about you?

AMEN!

January 25, 2023
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
2 Corinthians 10:3-5

Mark and I were blessed today to be treated to lunch with a very dear couple. During our lunch, we began discussing how we make excuses for forgetting things or remembering things incorrectly. Have you ever done that? For instance; I said that whenever I forget or remember incorrectly, I usually say that I have a lot on my mind. I quickly admitted that it may seem to some that I really just don’t have enough in my mind, meaning; I don’t take time to think about what I am thinking about and that usually leads me to forget things that are important to remember. Hope I haven’t lost you yet.

Today’s scripture was given to me as an assignment on my journey through the bible in a year, and I found it interesting to apply it to this idea of Thinking About What You Are Thinking about; “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

In it’s original context, Paul is instructing a struggling congregation to be careful with those who choose to argue their case against Paul’s leadership and teaching. Paul reminded the people that “though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does…God has provided divine power to demolish arguments…”.

So, here is a thought (hee, hee) for you today. What is your motive for arguing your case, whatever it may be and as noble as it may seem? Why not ask the Holy Spirit, the divine power, to work in and through you to demolish what is divisive in your conversations and watch how He brings peace to your spirit and your mind as you take those divisive thoughts captive for God’s will and way. You just might find yourself remembering more and remembering more correctly the things you need to do or say today.

AMEN!

January 18, 2023
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
Romans 8:28

I was just recently inspired by one of my favorite preachers; Dr. Charles Stanley with a comment he shared on the radio. He was referring to our passage for today, among others and he said something that gave me pause. He said; “God always keeps his promises, but he doesn’t promise to provide explanations”.

This is hitting home for me and several others I know. Have you ever found yourself in a predicament and said to yourself, “What possible good can come out of this”? I can attest to the stress that comes when we face situations, either of our own negligence, or someone else’s doing. Hang on, I have hope.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good for those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. Here’s the hope; Do you love God sincerely and want to obey him ultimately? Do you know that when you have an ongoing relationship with Jesus, you have been called according to his purpose? Wow! I need to hold onto that truth and stop expecting God to give me explanations of how this whole thing works.

Please be in prayer for those you know who are facing difficult situations, confusion, anxiety and any other thing that robs them of a fulfilling life with God. Please remember to trust Him through it all, and he will keep his promise to work it all out for your ultimate good and his glory.

AMEN!

January 11, 2023
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
Matthew 5:16

Do you remember the children’s song This Little Light of Mine? Well, after you finish singing it, I would like to encourage you with what Jesus taught in his great sermon as noted in our text for today from the Gospel of Matthew; “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”.

What a wonderful thought, that whatever we do for the good of the Kingdom of God brings praise to God, not for ourselves, which would be a very brief experience, but to our Heavenly Father for eternity I have been greatly inspired by a devotional reading a friend gave to me. It’s entitled “Prophets of a future not our own” by Bishop Ken Untener. See if you can find the connection between the scripture for today and what the Bishop is relating; “It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said. No prayer fully expresses our faith. No confession brings perfection. No pastoral visit brings wholeness. No program accomplishes the Church’s mission. No set of goals and objectives includes everything. This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord’s grace to enter and do the rest. We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”

As believers in Jesus Christ, we are the light of the world, shining hope in someone’s darkness today. Maybe this is a good time to sing the song again.

AMEN

January 4, 2023
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
Hebrews 12:14-15

How is your new year coming along? For me and my house, we are in the beginning of many changes and through it all we are reminded to turn our eyes upon Jesus and He will guide us step by step. Isn’t that the best way? One faithful step at a time. Funny how that is not the way I often look at change. It seems I often see the task too big in front of me. Today’s scripture text speaks of Holiness and how God requires his people to consistently reach for holiness in day to day faithful living so as to be a beacon of hope for those around us; “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many”.

Right off the bat we read that holiness will take great effort. Looking up the word Holy in my Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary I find it well put; Holy= ”To be set apart for God”. That is what a believer in Jesus Christ is, and that is what a believer in Jesus Christ does. As it turns out in today’s reading, Holiness requires that we do not allow bitter roots of unforgiveness, grudges, and attitudes that do not lead to peacefulness. You may not read those words in today’s text, but the hint is there.

Perhaps you have come up against other emotions or behaviors that you could add to this list. Wherever you are, however your new year has begun, please allow me to encourage you to take it one step at a time. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you and if it’s a very difficult time try to do what my friend and mentor Jim Prickett used to do when he was running a 5K race and grew very weary very quickly, he would say; “Lord, you pick ‘em up and I will put ‘em down.”

Why not schedule some time with the Lord, just you and Him? Make it part of your new year plan and don’t be surprised when more peace comes your way.

A favorite hymn puts it this way; “Take time to be holy; Speak oft with thy Lord, Abide in him always and feed on His Word. Make friends with God’s children; Help those who are weak, forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek”.

HAPPY NEW YOU!

December 15, 2022
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
Matthew 1:20-21, 1 John 4:7-11

I just love driving through our small community and seeing all the beautiful lights and Christmas light displays. This time of year, it gets very dark, very early and even though there is still much work to be done after the sun sets, I find it a peaceful and centering experience to see all the bright snowflake patterns shining brightly all up and down our main street. Jesus is the light of the world. When he shines in your life through your loving, sharing, comforting, and patient listening, the world gets changed, even if just a little bit and for just a little while.

It was just such a moment when the angel appeared to Joseph and told him “Don’t be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins”. What a moment that must have been, and what a challenge faced Joseph and his beloved, yet, what an amazing gift was being given.

This week in my congregations, we will light the fourth candle on the Advent wreath, and for us it will be the candle of Love. I will read from the scriptures how “This is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another”.

We will remember how the prophet Isaiah foretold; “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel [which means, God with us]”.

The next time you are out and about, or even just roaming the halls in which you dwell, stop and look at some Christmas lights and decorations and say to yourself, or even out loud; “Love came down at Christmas”.

November 15, 2022
Midweek Study with Pastor Edith
Isaiah 40:28-31

I found an Oswald Chambers devotional quote today as I was looking for more illustrations for a message on what it means to be more Faith-Full and to Fear-Less. The congregation which I was to address is made up primarily of widowed, single women who probably range between the ages of 70 and 90. A bit challenging for me since I am not a widow. I am blessed to have a sweet and faithful husband and though I may look and feel older, I am not yet in my mid 60’s. The challenge is how to relate to a group of women who face loneliness, chronic pain, anxiety of the future, and a myriad of other concerns, while I have a much easier life.

Thanks to Oswald Chambers, I found a connection in Isaiah 40:28-31 which reads from the NKJV; “Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary, His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and the those who have no might He increases strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”.

Oswald’s comment on these verses was just what I needed and I pray this will help you today in your walk of faith; “Living a life of faith means never knowing where you are being led. It means loving and knowing the One who is leading. It is literally a life of faith, not of understanding and reason—a life of knowing Him who calls us to go…The final stage in the life of faith is the attainment of character, and we encounter many changes in the process. We feel the presence of God around us when we pray, yet we are only momentarily changed. We tend to keep going back to our everyday ways and the glory vanishes. A life of faith is not a life of one glorious mountaintop experience after another, but is a life of day-in and day-out consistency; a life of walking and not fainting”.

AMEN!