"Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain." (Philippians 2:14-16)
Human beings have had a fascination with the universe. Scientists tell us that each star in the sky represents some galaxy light years away from earth. We are so drawn to what lies beyond our world that millions of dollars have been invested over time to send human beings into space. We have successfully landed men on the moon and currently have a working space station hovering above the earth's atmosphere. We have sent space probes and developed powerful telescopes to photograph planets we have yet to explore. What draws our attention to the stars?
Stars Draw People To Them.
If we think about the quality of stars, they illuminate a dark sky. The sun itself is classified as a star and it sustains life on earth as God in His wisdom positioned it approximately 93 million miles away. This distance keeps the earth from being too close so it doesn't burn up and just far enough away so the planet doesn't freeze over. Stars by their very nature draw people to them. Before the invention of clocks and calendars, human beings were guided to destinations through observing the stars. A star drew shepherds to a manger in Bethlehem as well as Magi to Herod's palace and ultimately to the house where they found Jesus. Celebrities are sometimes referred to as movie "stars" because people are drawn to them. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is comprised of cement squares with stars embedded in the sidewalks. The stars are permanent public monuments to achievement in the entertainment industry. People will often take pictures kneeling beside their favorite celebrity star.
We Are God's Stars.
Paul tells believers that as we refrain from negative attitudes and behaviors, we stand apart from the sinful actions that are reflected in our culture. "We shine among them like stars in the sky" as we reflect the light of Christ to a darkened world. We are life givers and as a result we illuminate the darkness through holding on to the word of truth and sharing it with the world. In Daniel's vision of the end times, he is told, "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like stars forever and ever. (Daniel 12:3) In the book of Revelation, Jesus is referred to as a star, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." (Revelation 22:16) In a way, followers of Christ can be characterized by the children's nursery rhyme, "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" "Twinkle, Twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are. Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky. Twinkle, Twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are." Do we reflect the light of Christ in such a way that people wonder who we are? May we continue to draw others to the bright Morning Star!
To God be the glory!
Pastor Sheree
At this moment as I am sitting here writing this blog, Hurricane Florence is bearing down on the coasts of North and South Carolina. The governors of the respective states are issuing states of emergency and urging people to evacuate to a safer place. However, while many are heeding their governors' warnings, there are some who take a different point of view. The storm chasers are the ones who defy the odds and potentially risk their lives to stand against the storm. Some of those storm chasers are foolish people who for selfish reasons fantasize that by staying in their homes they can be safe and at the same time protect their property. In their foolishness they not only risk their own lives but the lives of rescue personnel who may need to go out and physically remove them from their homes to a safer location. Other storm chasers are professionals who are trained to fly into the "eye" of the storm to gather crucial information regarding how potent the storm is as well as how fast it is traveling. They can relay this information back to meteorological sites who can better track the storm and then pass the pertinent information on to television viewers and social media. At the end of the day, there is nothing anyone can do to stop a storm from impacting an area and leaving a path of destruction. However, there is one storm chaser that can and did make a difference in the lives of others.
Don't Be Afraid!
In Matthew 14:22-32 we read the familiar story of Jesus walking on water. Jesus had sent His disciples ahead by boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. In the process the boat began to be buffeted by waves because of strong winds. The disciples were trying their best to make it through the rough waters and get out of the turmoil. Jesus could have let them struggle until they made it to the other side. Instead He "chased" the storm and came to them walking on the water. Initially they were fearful, thinking He was a ghost. However, Jesus reassured them not to be afraid, that it was really Him walking on the water. Peter at this point decided he wanted to chase the storm also, "Lord, if it is You," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water." (Matthew 14:28 NIV) Jesus told Peter to come but as he was walking towards Jesus, Peter became afraid of the wind and waves and he began to sink, crying out, "Lord, save me!" (Matthew 14:30 NIV) Jesus did not hesitate to reach out His hand and pull Peter to safety, rebuking him for his lack of faith. Matthew goes on to tell us, "And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." (Matthew 14:32-33)
Take Courage!
Unlike Jesus, human storm chasers cannot always save people from the poor choices they make or the dangerous weather situations over which there is no control. All people can do is run in the opposite direction away from the storm. However, Jesus never runs away from the storms that enter our lives. He runs towards them, chasing them, and calling on us not to be afraid because He is able to bring calm out of the chaos in our lives. Despite Peter's fear and doubt, he had the initial boldness to step out of the boat in the midst of the turmoil and walk towards Jesus. Do we have the same boldness to trust the Lord when the storms of life overwhelm us? May Jesus' words to His disciples be our encouragement, "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid...."Come." (Matthew 14:27;29 NIV)
Shalom,
Pastor Sheree
My typical routine Monday through Friday is to be up around 5am to exercise for an hour. The first half hour which takes place in our finished basement is dedicated to cardio rotating between my stationary bike, treadmill, and elliptical machine. The second half hour takes place upstairs in our guest bedroom where I focus on weight bearing, stretching, and balance exercises. The guest bedroom window looks out onto our backyard where I often observe a bunny or two munching on clover. One particular morning I was surprised by a visitation of a deer standing perfectly still in the backyard. I was listening to a CD by a group called Glad. The lyrics of one particular song were exhorting everything that has breath to praise the Lord. It almost looked like the deer was listening as it was looking in my direction. The deer stood there for almost ten minutes. Finally it moved on, walking into our next door neighbor's back yard. This was an exciting moment as deer aren't frequent visitors to our home. This appearance reminded me of the verse from Psalm 42:1-2a, "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God." (NIV)
How thirsty is your soul?
The deer was looking for something that drew it into our backyard. I fantasize that when it heard the music from my CD it was drawn to the words that exalted the living God. The One who created every living creature on earth. I began to think about how much does my own soul thirst for God? How deep a relationship do I long for with my Lord? It's very easy in the hustle and bustle of everyday life to establish a surface relationship with God but how often do we really take time to be still enough and know He is God? (Psalm 46:10a) My desire to know God on a deeper level is echoed in Paul's prayer for the church in Ephesians 3, "...And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:17b-19) I pray that like the deer who was possibly drawn to the music, my thirsty soul will be drawn ever closer to the living God.
Peace and Blessings,
Pastor Sheree
