Hosanna Restoration Church

If you happen to be reading a “One Year Bible” like I am, then you have been reading the book of Jeremiah. Today was a hard day for him. He was feeling pretty bad because God never let him say one good thing to them. He praised the Lord and then cursed the day he was born. People talked bad about him and wanted him dead and that was not very comforting either. God listened to all he said and then sent him to the people with this comforting message. He told them they could stay in Jerusalem and die a horrible death, or they could surrender and live.

God wanted them to surrender to the Babylonians. He also wanted them to live. The key is to surrender to the will of God. Jeremiah did what God wanted him to do even though he spent most of his time weeping as he did it. It was a hard thing but if he did not do it, the words of God burned inside of him. I am glad that God allows me to speak kind and encouraging words more than those other words that are so difficult to speak. I never enjoy speaking hard and corrective words. Anyone who does enjoy that is probably not speaking from the heart of God. That does not mean they are never spoken, it simply means they are not enjoyable. Ultimately, we all will surrender to the Word of God. A chorus that we sing says that one day every tongue will confess and every knee will bow, but still the greatest treasures remain for those who gladly choose Him now. That is what I want, and that is what I want for the body of Christ everywhere and for the world. That everyone would surrender and live.

Unlike Jeremiah, I feel blessed to have a church full of people who are kind and loving toward my family and me. I am not so foolish as to think that I always please them, nor am I so foolish to think that I always do everything right. Still, they put up with me. Today they have planned a time of pastor’s appreciation. This always humbles me. Especially when I read how Jeremiah was treated. I am one who certainly appreciates the people who God has allowed me to serve. God has blessed me more that I ever could have imagined.

It has been my prayer for 20 years now, that God would keep me in His will. He has been faithful to redirect and correct and keep me and I trust he will continue. I just need to keep surrendering to his will. One picture of the will of God can be found in the 5th chapter of 1st Thessalonians. We are told that we who live in the light should think clearly under the protection of the body armor of faith and love and confidence in our salvation. We are told in verse 14 not be lazy in our faith. We are to encourage the timid, take tender care of the weak and be patient with everyone. We are not to pay back evil for evil, rather we are to always try to do good to each other and to everyone else. Add to that the command to always be joyful, keep on praying, and always be thankful, and we have the will of God for our lives. If we surrender to these things, we will experience the life that only God can give. In so doing we will honor God and that is my prayer for our church family and the body of Christ everywhere.