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Who Do You Trust?

”Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you; when you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.”  Isaiah 43:1-3.

Recently I read that Jim Elliot, a missionary who was martyred along with three others by the Auca Indians in Ecuador, claimed this passage of Scripture for his favorite. The Scriptures must have been emblazoned upon his spirit as he ministered in the remotest parts of Ecuador…truly words he lived by. 

When I think of famous men and women of God who have laid their lives on the line to share the Gospel, I shrink in embarrassment at my faint moments of frail servitude. My momentary trials and tribulations pale in comparison to the true servants like Jim Elliot, Lottie Moon, Myers Mallory, Adoniram Judson and countless others. 

A new year has begun!  To some it offers dreams of grandiose achievements, to others only nightmares of past failures which cast a cold, dark shadow on any hopes for future bliss.  How easy it is to allow past deficiencies to overtake our thoughts plunging us into a frozen lake of murky misgivings, that even the most devout optimistic soul is unable to melt its depressive frigid grip. 

I am comforted by the fact that even the great men and women of faith suffered from bouts of despondency. Elijah, Jonah, Job, Moses, Jeremiah, and David all endured moments of dispiritedness. If you find yourself to be among the number of dejected souls this January, you are not alone. However, there is hope!

Our circumstances might cast us into the pit, but our outlook can be transformed by the renewing of our minds as Romans 12 reminds us. Maybe we need to spend less time staring in the mirror of judgmental scrutiny and bask in the promises of God!  I know that phrase wreaks of Pollyanna idealism, however a simple turn from dark introspection to the Light of Hope illuminates a darkened soul immensely. 

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

For I have put my trust in You.

Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. 

Psalm 143:8 (NIV).

TRUST! The object of our trust impacts our outlook with eternal ramifications!

Pastor Keith

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FOCUSED

One of the casualties of aging to which I find myself a victim is the dimming of the eyes.  Ecclesiastes 12 counsels the young person to remember God, their Creator, in their youth before the aging process takes over and various faculties, as listed in verses 1-7, are diminished.

Clear eyesight when we are young may be something we take for granted. However, as we age the realization that our vision is not as sharp as it once was takes hold. “Readers” become standard fare for all intricate tasks. Our once keen laser sharp focus is now blurry and in need of help to restore its youthfulness. That restoration is found through glasses or some sort of rejuvenating surgery. Especially in the early stages of this degenerative eye problem we may be able to fake it and get by, but eventually we must relent and do something to correct the problem.

There is a parallel between physical and spiritual vision. “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus” was written in the early 20th century. The hymn writer, Helen Lemmel, was strongly influenced by the artist and later little-known missionary, Lilias Trotter. Miss Trotter started off as an aspiring artist but early on felt a call from God to reach the lost. She began her ministry by rescuing prostitutes from the streets of London. Later she went to Africa, without missionary funding, and served for over forty years. While there she penned a poem that would greatly influence the writing of the hymn “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”  The poem was entitled “Focused: A Story and Song.” 

The poem centers around focusing one’s attentions fully and completely upon God. She writes that Satan knows that if a person uses all their powers of concentration on being led by God’s Spirit, they will have a great intensity and impact upon those to whom they are called to minister. Lilias Trotter, writing in a more formal use of the English language than we are accustomed, shares some timeless insights which could very easily have been written today but with a different accent. She writes: “Never has it been so easy to live in half a dozen good harmless worlds at once—art, music, social science, games, motoring, the following of some profession, and so on. And between them we run the risk of drifting about, the ‘good’ hiding the ‘best’ even more effectually than it could be hidden downright frivolity with its smothered heartache at its own emptiness.”

The “good” hiding the “best” leads us to emptiness.  Could this be true of us today especially as American Christians? Have we sought the “good” while missing the “best”? The chorus of the hymn, which we will be singing in worship this Sunday, says it best.

                Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face,                                                                                                                                        And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

Keith Pate

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