Daniel 6 Most of us are familiar with the account of Daniel in the lions’ den. Daniel was getting along famously even after the Medes under Darius took over the empire from the Babylonians. This was, of course, because Daniel continued to serve the Most High God and trust Him with his life. In due time, because of his very excellent work record, Daniel was in line to be placed over the entire kingdom right under King Darius. This, naturally, provoked jealousy in Daniel’s political rivals and co-workers so they tried to find some complaint with Daniel’s work, but none could be found. So, they decided to bring him down through his religious beliefs. These jealous “no-goods” duped the King through flattery into signing a law that no one could make petition to any god or man for thirty days save to the King himself. Darius fell for it, and the law was passed which according to the ways of the Medes and Persians could not be altered in any way nor rescinded. Then these unscrupulous fellows lay in wait to catch Daniel praying to his God. Daniel, despite knowing full well the law which had been passed and its penalty (a night with the lions), did what he always did - he prayed to God. He was caught in the act which was in violation of the new law, and Darius was forced to put Daniel into the den of lions. We know the outcome - God sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths and Daniel was preserved. Too often when we read this narrative, we only focus on God’s rescuing Daniel, which is the thrust of the story. But we tend to overlook the important lesson of how Daniel came to be in the lions’ den in the first place. Daniel would rather face the lions than give up praying to God for even thirty days! Now that is a lesson for us. Just how much do we value being able to talk with our heavenly Father? How much? Do we realize how necessary and how precious it is to pray to our God. Would you “face the lions” so you could keep praying? The day may be coming. Keep praying! ><>Jeff

Proverbs 19:2; 21:5 Have you ever felt like a lugnut on an 18-wheeler hurtling down the highway at 75 miles an hour? You’re going too fast, everything is spinning out of control, and somebody else is driving! Sound familiar? Well, join the “lugnuts” club! It seems that much of life is like this today. The tempo of living is almost furious. The demands and pressures come from all sides, and everything needs to be done “right now” if not before. And just as soon as you think you’ve got some breathing room, more things are put “on your plate.” The pace is unrelenting. In my belief, the devil is behind most of this, and he is using the pride and greed of people to create this horrendous atmosphere. “You can build it bigger and make it go faster. You can do more, go more places, make more money, and get more stuff.” But that isn’t the devil’s prime purpose. He’s after “bigger fish.” First off, he wants us distracted from the crucial and important things of life. Serious reflection on the deeper things is non-existent because we are pre-occupied. Bible reading and study is either forgotten or is morphed into a quick glance at a devotional book. Second, relationships suffer. Bizarre work schedules keep families apart. Children’s extra-curricular activities take up evenings and even weekends. Conversations between parents and kids are limited to talking about who needs to go where and at what time. Watching your child play softball is a good thing, but it’s no substitute for a one on one talk about the things which matter most in life. And spouses suffer terribly, collapsing on the sofa after a full day but surprisingly having an empty feeling inside. Wisdom tells us that “he who hurries his footsteps errs” and “everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty.” Remember that poverty is measured in ways other than money. If you’re a lugnut on that 18-wheeler, find a way to get loose and then attached to a vehicle that makes frequent stops on the way. ><> Jeff

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.