Pastor’s Corner

Well good morning to you all, Here is the answer to yesterdays question. Which U.S. states official motto translates into "Ever Upward"? I guess this was too difficult to maneuver so here goes, It is New York as its motto is "Excelsior" which in Latin is translated to "ever upward" This motto was a adopted in 1778 which is featured on the state seal & flag.

On the lighter side: Why did the tomato turn red? Well of course it was; Because it saw the salad dressing. I guess the salad told it to "leaf me alone".

Eccl. 3:15 "That which has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past."

This is a mind-blowing thought, because it opens our eyes to the reality & nature of eternity. Ther is no past, present, or future.

Think about this, Why did God declare His name to be I AM. Not I WAS, not I WILL BE, but rather I AM-in the eternal now.

Imagine if you were able to travel at the speed of a light ray or 186,000 miles per second then you would be able to arrive at Pluto our furthest planet of our Milky Way Galaxy in one single day. But the earth had gotten 3 million years older in the time you had traveled to Pluto.

Just think with me in 1 John 1:5 we are told "God is light". Just what does the mean? Could it be that in heaven where He abides, that everything is in the present "now"? Now I know that this thought is somewhat overcoming, almost infathomable, but it does make His presence with & us and the saints of old a possibility doesn't it?

This thought process does cause the verse we are meditating on today a little more understandable, Right?

It also makes better sense from that last phrase "And God requires an account of what is past."

The eternalness of life is difficult for us to fathom, that we are to live with eternity in mind. Now for a few minutes lets focus on this thought. We finite beings are to live in such a way that eternity is well served by our daily living. The only way that we are able to live in this way is by our living in harmony with an eternal being (God our Father). So we see the necessity of following His guidance in our lives.

Otherwise without this focus on life we will be living in a circle. As a young man I was leading a youth program called TWA. It was a two week program that taught young men who had lived in New York City their entire life. We went to the Adirondack Forest (upstate) and taught them how to survive in this chain of 2,000+ lakes on just the what're surrounded us. We portaged these lakes with what we could carry on our back. Each young man would monitor the fish caught as we maneuvered along the lakes, most lakes were at the most one mile away from the next lake. Our primary guide was a compass, reading the stars at night and a map with latitude & longitude readings.

During this two week period, we would attempt to express this eternal God & His love for them. This experience caused these troubled kids who had never experienced anything but a concrete jungle to be brought into contact with the reality of the eternalness of Almighty God. In my time of conducting this adventure for two summers not one boy failed to come into the reality of an all powerful, all knowing God who loved them unconditionally.

So Go With God for He cares for you in every way, past, present and future. Rest in His unfaltering truth & love. No thing, or thought is outside of His care for you. It may seem that your alone in this world, but you aren't, He is caring for each thing in your life.

Oh my dear one, lay down, call upon Him, for He cares for your every moment. Nothing is outside of His care for you. As in those wide open places in the Adirondack's He was there, listening to the struggles & pains of past experiences. Many nights sitting around the fire we would talk about His care for Israel as they wondered across the wilderness.

Just think if He can guide, & protect 2 million people to travel across a desert, if He can provide food & water all their needs for animals, babies, women & chidren for 40 years, can He care for you? Rest in Him.