Church Bulletin

Trust God But Tie Your Camel

There was once a man who was on his way back home from the market with his camel and, as he had a good day, he decided to stop at a Church along the road and offer his thanks to God. He left his camel outside and spent several hours offering thanks to God, praying and promising that he will be a good person in the future, help the poor and be a righteous man. When he had finished praying, it was already dark and behold his camel was gone! He immediately flew into a violent temper and shook his fist at the sky, yelling:

“God! How could you do this to me? I put all my trust in you and now you have done this to me!” A passing believer heard the man yelling and chuckled to himself. “Listen”, he said, “Trust God, but tie up your camel.” Let go and let God. Letting go and letting God be in control does not mean that we sit around and do nothing, but rather that we act on the promises of God and live them out. It also means that we do our part using our common sense that God has given us. Trusting God means both, that we wait on Him for guidance and direction and it also means that we get going in the direction He points us in. Trusting God means waiting on Him for direction, and it also means using the minds and gifts that He has given us to head in that direction. As long as we head in that direction in His strength and not in our own as long as we continue to trust Him along the way, and even let Him make mid-course corrections, we can be confident that we are trusting Him and walking in His power and not our own.

Martha, Martha.....No time for the Lord?

There's time for the mending and making;

There's time for the cooking and baking:

For the letter I write or the friends I invite

But what time do I give to my Lord?

There is time for the news on the air,

To which I must listen with care;

For the claims of my health,

For the spending of my wealth,

But where is the time for my Lord;

There's time for the digging and hoeing;

There's time for the raking and mowing;

For the sowing of seeds,

And removing of weeds,

But what time do I give to my Lord?

Oh Master, forgive me, I pray;

I'm sorry - repentant today.

From this hour make me wise,

And teach me to prize

The time that I spend with you my Lord.

Devious Devilish Devices

"For we are not ignorant of his [Satan's] devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11, NIV). To defeat an enemy it is imperative to understand his modus operandi. Satan, our archenemy, is the father of lies and a liar from the beginning. One of his most dangerous devices is to keep us blinded from seeing the truth about God, about ourselves, about God's plan and our need of salvation, and above all to keep us from seeing the truth about the totally destructive nature and effects of sin. To give us a clearer picture and understanding of sin, the Bible uses three words to describe sins' various facets. First, is the word "transgression" which means to rebel against or disobey God's laws, to make up our own rules and go our own way. Rebellion can be willful and deliberate, or it can be passive and even unconscious. Second, is the word "iniquity" which is the expression of our sinful nature. For instance, we are not sinners because we sin, but rather, we sin because we are sinners. It is our nature to do so. The third facet of sin is much harder to see. It is to "miss the mark"(God's mark or target). As Paul wrote, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory [standard or target] of God."- Romans 3:23 (NIV). God's mark is the perfection or wholeness he envisioned for us. Therefore, anything in my life that falls short of God's standard is sin. This would include failing to resolve hurts from the past, sins of resentment, pride, anger, bitterness, denial, failing to resolve my pockets of immaturity and so on. Once we understand the nature of sin and Satan's devices, with deep honesty and God's help, we are free to work on overcoming the sins and problems that so easily beset us.