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Acts 17:24-25 How good is it that God above has never gone on strike, Because He was not treated fair or saw things He didn’t like? If only once He’d given up and said, “That’s it, I’m through! “I’ve had enough of those on earth, so this is what I’ll do.” “I’ll give my orders to the sun - ‘Cut off the heat supply!’ “And to the moon - ‘Give no more light and run the oceans dry.’” “Then just to make things really tough and put the pressure on - ‘Turn off the vital oxygen, ‘til every breath is gone!’” You know He would be justified, if fairness was the game, For no one has been more abused or met with more disdain Than God; and yet He carries on supplying you and me With all the favors of His grace, and everything for free. Men say they want a better deal and so on strike they go, But what a deal we’ve given God, to Whom all things we owe. We don’t care whom we hurt to gain the things we’d like, But what a mess we’d all be in, if God should go on strike. - Anonymous “If He should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath, All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.” Job 34:14-15 ><> Jeff

Luke 19:41-44 What causes you to cry? What is it that strikes a cord of emotion in your heart and makes tears well up in your eyes? We cry in a great many different situations. When death invades our life, tears flow. When life’s troubles overwhelm us, and we believe we are without hope, we begin to sob. When a babe is born, when the long-awaited lab report comes back negative, when someone is baptized into Christ, tears of joy well up. When the majesty of God is displayed in the rainbow, when the words of the hymn resonate in our heart, when the Spirit convicts our inner self through the power of the word, our eyes moisten as we are humbled before God. Except for sin, Jesus was like us in every way. He experienced hunger, thirst and weariness. He wondered at people and was angry with them. He felt the powerful, dark pull of temptation. He knew joy and sorrow. And he cried. It shouldn’t be such a surprise to us that He did cry since He was fully human, but some of the reasons might catch us off guard. In one instance Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem for the last time. Luke records: “When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it.” Jesus wept because the hearts of His people were so hardened and deluded that they did not know “the things which make for peace!” Their hearts were blinded as they continued to seek God through ritualistic worship (mere church going) and law-keeping (following rules). Such self-righteous pathways never lead to God. Jesus wept because He was there among them as their God, Messiah, and Savior, but He speaks through tears to the city that “did not recognize the time of your visitation.” Jesus wept because He knew what was going to happen to the city itself. It would be leveled to the ground. The people would be ravaged by their enemies. Jesus weeps today when hearts are hard and people wander away from Him in barren pathways. He knows their end and what they will miss. They are tears of love. Do you weep with Him? ><>Jeff

Job 38:1-42:6 The Lord had plenty of questions for Job after he had voiced his complaints during his sufferings. Job had no answers - only to acknowledge that the Lord is indeed God Almighty. Today, the Lord could well ask us Christians many similar questions. If you never felt pain, how would you know I’m the Healer? If you never had to pray, how would you know that I hear and answer you? If you never felt sadness, how would you know that I’m the Comforter? If you never sinned, how would you know I’m the Forgiver? If you never were in trouble, how would you know I am the great Rescuer? If you never had any suffering, how could you become like Me? If you never had to fight against evil, how would you know the joy of victory? If you never had a problem, how would you know that I have the answers? If you were given everything you wanted, would you try to find happiness without Me? If you never went through the fire, then how would you become purified? If you were never corrected, how would you know that I love you? If you were never lost, how would you know I’m the Savior? If you were not able to choose, how would you know if you would choose Me? ><> Jeff

At the risk of being misunderstood or seeming callous toward the troubles and heartaches which we all experience, we want to affirm that any day with Jesus is a good day. You may wish to protest that thought as you reflect upon the days in your life in which something happened that nearly crushed the life out of your soul. How could that be a good day? Let’s look at a real life example. Consider Paul and Silas in the prison at Philippi (Acts 16:16-34). Paul had done a good thing by casting an evil spirit of divination out of a slave girl, but they ended up being beaten with rods and thrown into prison because of it. Was that a bad day? Well, yes, but what do we find them doing? “...praying and singing hymns of praise to God...” As a result of all of this (throw in an earthquake from God), the jailer and his family were all baptized into Christ! Beyond that, Paul and Silas got out of prison. Sounds like a good day Paul’s focus was ever on the spiritual side of things and the love which his Savior had for him. This isn’t to say that the persecutions he endured for his Lord didn’t hurt or cause him difficulties. He just constantly reminded himself of the love which Christ had for him. In his stirring words found in our text, Paul enumerates a host of bad days - tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword. In addition to these, he speaks of death, principalities, things present, things to come (unknown to us), powers, “nor any other created thing.” His point? That even if we experience any or all of these things, it is no indication that Christ has stopped loving us nor that such things have the power to somehow separate us from the great love of our Savior. Paul sees it this way. Quoting from Psalm 44:22, he admits that we are “being put to death all day long” and considered “as sheep to be slaughtered.” Sounds like a long, bad day. Yet, Paul proclaims that “in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.” Sounds like a good day, a very good day. ><> Jeff

John 10:10 Jesus stated: “...I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” This would mean that we should embrace all that is good in life as we follow in the steps of our Master Jesus. So, we should... ...be honest in all of our dealings with others. ...keep our word. ...work hard, as for the Lord. ...admit when we are wrong. ...smile a lot. ...tell our spouse we love him/her - every day. ...look for rainbows. ...take walks in the fresh air. ...pray for others. ...praise others for the good they do. ...criticize only when truly necessary. ...help out around the house. ...read our Bible and learn to love its Author. ...surprise people with small acts of kindness. ...stop grumbling and complaining. ...take time to enjoy butterflies, birds, puppies and flowers. ...savor our morning coffee and afternoon tea. ...learn to better appreciate the assembly of the saints. ...hug our kids, and our grandkids. ...correct our mistakes. ...rejoice in all the wonders of life. ...nourish our relationships. ...be filled with the Spirit. ...refuse to let Satan win. ...remind ourselves of our future home - every day. ...thank the Lord Jesus for every blessing. ><>Jeff

Luke 1:5-20; Galatians 4:4-5 “Gabriel!” “Yes, my Sovereign,” responds the angel who stands in the presence of God. “It’s time.” “Time?” “It’s time to begin the redemption of My people and of all peoples. That which We have promised and prophesied from the very beginning will now unfold. Everything is in place.” So spoke the Lord God. “What is my task, my Sovereign?” “Go to one Zacharias who is a priest and is even now ministering in the temple. He has been praying for a son as his wife Elisabeth is barren. We will give them a son whose name he will call John. And he will be the one to come in the spirit and power of Elijah to make ready a people for the Lord, the Anointed. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb and will drink no wine or liquor. He will be a great man.” “Yes, my Sovereign,” replied Gabriel. “But be prepared.” “Prepared?” “Since he and his wife are well advanced in years, he may not believe you.” “I see.” “So, you may need to work a little miracle there to help convince him.” “Understood.” “And by the way.” “Yes, My Sovereign?” “Remind him that this message is truly good news, not only for him and his wife, but for many others.” “Indeed it is, My Sovereign. Indeed it is” ><> Jeff

1 John 1:8-10 Father, forgive us... ...for we walk in our own ways too often and think that we know better for ourselves than You do. We have ignored parts of Your word, those parts which are more difficult and demanding which require greater sacrifice and humility while congratulating ourselves for keeping other parts which come more easily for us. ...for in too many instances we are poor stewards of the gifts which You have placed at our disposal. We have wasted and mismanaged. We have expended too much time and too many resources on ourselves and not enough on those around us. We have let parts of your work suffer through our selfishness and neglect. ...for we have at times stood distant from those struggling with sin and the onslaughts of the devil and have failed to supply any comfort or support. We have judged them as being weak in faith, when in fact the burdens they bear and the battles they fight may be of such proportions that we would collapse if we were in their shoes. ...for we have at times loved the world more than You, and walked in fear of our enemies and in fear for our lives, afraid of what we might lose if we stood up for the truth and what is right. We have not allowed the gospel of Jesus Christ to shine out of us nor allowed Your Holy Spirit to lead us. We have rather trusted in ourselves than in Your power and grace working in us. ...for we have treated this relationship with You and Your Son Jesus as nothing more than a ritualistic exercise performed in a building rather than a sacred fellowship between Creator and creature, a covenant between Master and servant. We have seen our lives and our re-created selves still as belonging to us rather than seeing ourselves as Your workmanship designed for Your glory. Father, have mercy on us all. In the name of Christ Jesus, Amen.

Revelation 22:17 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” - John 3:16 “Whoever” means just that - whoever! If you think your life has no meaning, if you are tired of constantly being beat down, if your money no longer buys you happiness, if your body is wracked with pain, if your heart has been broken so often it no longer hurts, if you are worried about the future, if you’ve been drunk too many times to count, if you’ve got needle tracks everywhere, if your conscience won’t let you rest, if your mind is in a constant state of confusion, if you know that your addiction is destroying you, if you don’t want to get out of bed in the morning, if you can’t sleep at night, if you are continually troubled with fears, if you just know there’s more to life, if you are empty inside, if you have only a couple of dollars in your pocket, if you have enough in your wallet to buy a city block, if you’re divorced, if you’ve dabbled in devil worship, if you’re not sure there’s a God, if you think nobody loves you, if you have a thirst which nothing has been able to satisfy, ...”Come.” ...take the water of life without cost.” Jesus is waiting for you with open arms. ><>Jeff

Isaiah 55:8-11 At times we see a bulldozer busy flattening a building or clearing off a piece of ground, and we ask ourselves, “I wonder what’s going in there?” It’s an obvious question. Brother Earl Williams used this illustration when discussing God’s working in a person’s life. He says that we should ask the same type of question when we see a Christian going through great hardship and testing. “I wonder what God is doing in that person’s life?” Or, closer to home: “I wonder what God is doing with me?” Brother Jim McGuiggan uses a similar illustration when we contemplate what God’s purposes might be as He works through events and circumstances. He says to consider a man riding a bicycle. “What’s he doing?” To the casual observer, he is just a man pedaling a bicycle. But depending on the situation, there may be a whole lot more going on. He may be a man who is following the doctor’s orders to get more exercise and lower his heart rate. He might be a man trying to please his wife and shed a few pounds. He might be a person simply riding to enjoy the fresh morning air and be alone with his thoughts. He might be testing out the bicycle which he is fixing up for his grandson. He might be going to the market to get a loaf of bread. He might be trying to get in shape for an up-coming race. Or he might just like to ride a bicycle! Usually, we can only wonder what God is doing. His purposes remain a mystery to us for His ways and thoughts are far superior to ours. Sometimes we have a good idea, but we cannot be sure until months, even years later. Looking back at some point, we can then see what the Lord has been working to accomplish. However, we can be sure that He has a purpose or two in mind, and that He is working to accomplish those purposes. And we know that His purposes are always good even though they might be painful for the time being. We must learn to trust God as we ask the question: “I wonder what God is doing?” ><> Jeff

James 1:27 Last year, many of you in the congregation participated in the Hope for Haiti’s Children Christmas “Joy Boxes” project. We packed ten boxes with toys, hygiene items and various incidentals and sent them on for the orphans and other children attending the HFHC schools. Here is a note from the staff of HFHC about last year: “It was more than we could ask for or imagine! Last year, amidst a pandemic and churches being unable to meet in person everyone STILL packed and sent over 3,000 Joy Boxes! That was enough for every child in all 10 schools to receive one! Participants went the extra mile and the children, who were facing even more hardship than normal in 2020, were reminded that God loves them and that they are not forgotten. Thank you!” Lord willing, this year we are planning to pack and ship twelve (12) Joy Boxes for these children. We already have their names and photographs. Five of the children are under the age of 5, and 7 are teenagers. We have received a list of the suggested items for each age group which will be available on the table in the front of the auditorium by next week along with a sign-up sheet if you wish to select certain items that you will purchase. If you would like to participate in this program this year, but are unable to personally shop for any of the items requested, you may give a donation to Shirley or Elisabeth, and it will be used to purchase items for the boxes. The deadline for bringing in the items is September 26. This is in order to double check that we are in compliance with the directions from the Joy Box Coordinator, to package the boxes, and to send them on so HFHC has sufficient time to get them to Haiti. James reminds us about supporting orphans, and other scriptures speak of helping those in need. Let’s all pitch in this year to help out these kids.

Acts 9:1-9; 22:6-16 That’s what Saul got - a good knock in the head! It was the proverbial wake up call! Saul was on the wrong side, doing the wrong things and believing everything was all right! So Jesus came down and sent this fired-up Pharisee to the ground in a blaze of brilliant light and with a dumbfounding question from out of the blue: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul was dumfounded. And blind. It was enough to put the fear of God into a person. So, Saul asks two questions of the Voice. “Who are you, Lord?” Good question. Good to know who has the power to appear out of nowhere and strike you blind. “I am Jesus the Nazarene, whom you are persecuting.” How that must have caused a sickening feeling in the pit of Saul’s stomach. It had been his recent passion to oppose this new teaching and persecute these Christians. Now he knows that this Jesus is truly who His disciples have been saying He is - the Son of God. Ouch! Saul asks his next question. “What shall I do, Lord?” Another good question. If you suddenly come face to face with the Son of God Himself and find out you’re doing some things very wrong, it’s really the only question to ask. Jesus told Saul to go on into Damascus where someone would come and tell him what to do. Saul went. Ananias came. Saul’s sight was restored. (This was only after the inner spiritual blindness was corrected.) Then he was told, “Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” And Saul did. And Saul began to preach Jesus. There are times when we all need a good knock in the head like Saul. We have our Christian lives on cruise control. Church has become a ritual. We aren’t growing in the Lord. We do nothing different. We’re lukewarm. We may even hold to some beliefs and practices which aren’t found in the Scriptures. Look out! The Lord is coming with that good knock in the head. Will you be heart-ready like Saul with this question: “What shall I do Lord?” Hmmm? ><>Jeff

James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4 Somebody will always... ...be more attractive than you. ...know more trivia answers than you. ...run faster than you. ...make a tastier casserole than you. ...make more money than you. ...keep a nicer house than you. ...hit a baseball farther than you. ...wear more stylish clothes than you. ...sing more beautifully than you. ...have more “followers” than you. ...win more trophies than you. Nobody should... ...be more honest than you. ...be kinder than you. ...be friendlier than you. ...work harder than you. ...speak more graciously than you. ...be more compassionate than you. ...love more deeply than you. ...be more at peace than you. ...be more forgiving than you. ...be more helpful than you. ...pray more fervently than you. ...honor Jesus more than you. ><> Jeff