–Zachary McCrae  (Frontier Fury)

       “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.”

                    –Isaiah 40:8 (NKJV)
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                    “Hold to God’s unchanging hand,
                    Hold to God’s unchanging hand;
                    Build your hopes on things eternal,
                    Hold to God’s unchanging hand.”
                          –Jennie Bain Wilson

     Have you ever had someone break a promise to you?  It’s not a pleasant experience and it leaves you wondering if you can trust them again.  What would it be like if God broke His promises?  What if He would decide that only those with B+ blood are fit for the Kingdom?  It is comforting that we serve a God who does not change.  He is not a God, who upon a whim decides this or that.  Arthur Pink said it this way, “He cannot change for the better, for He is already perfect; and being perfect, He cannot change for the worse.”
     When we begin to think of God, as we have done the past three weeks, in His attributes it is mind-boggling.  He is truly wonderful in the literal meaning of the word.  He is mysterious and beyond our comprehension, and therefore, worthy only of our praise and worship.  I can almost hear His voice declaring from heaven, “I am the Lord, I change not!” (Malachi 3:6, NKJV)
     Immutable:  one of those words that almost defies description because we cannot totally fathom the idea.  “God is perpetually the same:  subject to no change in His being, attributes, or determinations.” (Pink)  How could He change?  What would He change into?  What would He become?  Pink continues, “Because God has no beginning and no ending, He can know no change.  He is everlasting.”  His nature and being are infinite.  All that He is today, He has ever been, and ever will be.
     God’s character does not change.  He never becomes less truthful, or merciful, or just, or good.  James declares, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turing.” (1:17, NKJV).  The RSV translates it this way, “…with whom there is no variation of shadow due to change.”
     It is vital that we know and realize that God’s truth does not change.  Today there is a very real attack on the Word of God, both the written word and the living word–Jesus.  Culture, Wokeness, tolerance, or any other ism or ideology will not, cannot change the truth of God’s truth.  Truth, humanistic truth, is unstable, and is relative, subject to change.  Oh, rejoice that God’s truth is forever and settled.  He does not conjure up new truth or compromise old, established truth.  “No circumstances prompt Him to recall them; no changes in His own thinking require Him to amend them.” (J.I. Packer)  Truth is settled!  The Prophet Isaiah wrote, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (40:8, NKJV)  All His commands are true and are established forever (i.e., Psalm 119:151-152).  Jesus said, that “the Scripture cannot be broken.” (10:35, NKJV)

                    “Time is filled with swift transition,
                    Naught of earth unmoved can stand,
                    Build your hopes on things eternal,
                    Hold to God’s unchanging hand.”

                    –Louis L’Amour  (The Sky-Liners)

       “In whose hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind.”

                    –Job 12:10 (NKJV)
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This second part of Psalm 116, should be read with great contemplation.  Think of the words in each verse as you read, a peace and solemnity should follow.  Oh, that His words would sink deep into our hearts!

          10 — I believed, therefore I spoke, “I am greatly afflicted.”
          11 — I said in my haste, “All men are liars.”
          12 — What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?
          13 — I will take up the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.
          14 — I will pay my vows to the LORD now in the presence of all His people.
          15 — Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.
          16 — O LORD, truly I am Your servant; I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant; You have loosed my bonds.
          17 — I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the LORD.
          18 — I will pay my vows to the LORD now in the presence of all His people.
          19 — In the courts of the LORD’s house, in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.  Praise the LORD!  (NKJV)

     From the very beginning of verse 10, the Psalmist describes his faith.  It is with this faith that he calls upon the Lord.  He fully trusts in God no matter the issue, the situation, the circumstance, or predicament.  I like the way the NLT puts this verse, “I believed in you, so I prayed…”  What else should we do?  What else can we do?  When we are in affliction or dire straits we should pray, there is no other recourse.
     Look at the situation in our country today.  WOKE, progressive culture, socialism, anti-Semitism, and on the list goes.  Men are liars, then what are we to do?  Become complacent and go along with the crowd?  Give in to the lies of the culture or stand firm in God’s Word?  Men, even those who may try to do good, cannot without the help of God and He has not been pushed to the back-burner, but has been for the most part cast entirely aside.  What now?
     Lift up the cup of salvation!  That’s a good place to start.  Praise and thank God for His wonderful salvation that He has brought to your life.  What shall I render to the Lord?  Start with thanking Him for His sacrifice on the cross, and for bringing His salvation to you.  Do not take that benefit for granted, for it is the key, the hope of eternity.  Then he said he would pay his vows.  Have you ever made a vow?  Have you kept it?  Then perhaps it is time to do so.  Ah, but you say you already have broken that vow–that does not negate the vow.  A vow is a pledge of obedience.  Pay up, now is the time.
     In the time of our darkest hour, when the shadow of death passes over us we have the assurance that Christ is there with us.  He is there to take us across the river to His heavenly home.  But let’s look at another interpretation of that verse.  “Costly in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”  George Wood, says this in regard to that, “If this is the meaning intended, it’s the Psalmist’s way of linking us with the Lord’s purposes by stating that our removal from the human scene is costly to God’s work on earth.”  It reminds me of Paul’s dilemma:  “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21, NKJV)  He continues on, “But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell.  For I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.  Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you.”  (Philippians 1:22-24, NKJV)
     He gave His life for us, what then do we have to give back?  Praising Him for our salvation, paying our vows, and recognizing that we are His servants, and also to offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving.  In the Old Testament, when the Lord brings us out of a difficult situation they went to the temple to give offerings.  “We bring a different kind of sacrifice:  the continual offering of our life to the Lord, our praise, and doing good to others.” (George Wood)  We are to be “living sacrifices.”   Do not neglect to thank Him for His salvation and His sustaining power, but also do not forget the daily blessings.  Basil wrote this, “God awakened us into being, he ennobled us with understanding, he taught us arts to enrich us, he commanded the earth to yield crops for us, he bade the animals to own us as lords.  For us the rains descend, the sun sheds its rays, the mountains rise, the valleys bloom, the rivers flow.  All nature pours her treasures at our feet.”

               “I gave my life for thee, my precious blood I shed,
               That thou might’st ransomed be, and quickened from the dead;
               I gave, I gave my life for thee; what hast thou given for me?”
                         –Frances R. Havergal

                    –2 Corinthians 4:18 (NKJV)
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                    “God’s interpretation is bigger than the storm.”
                             –Dr. Mike Minter

Yes, I want to spend some more time contemplating that statement.  Yesterday we looked at the idea of God seeing things from a different perspective.  In reality, He sees things from all perspectives; all perspectives imaginable.  Think of that–He understands where you are coming from.  He understands where your opponent is coming from.  He even sees any other possible alternative.  He knows the mood and attitude you are in during the demands in front of you, and understands them.  That does not mean He likes them or approves of them, but He understands–He is the God who is there beside you.
       There is another perspective–that is the unknown.  God sees into the unknown, the spirit realm.  We read in 2 Kings 6:

               .15 And when the servant of the man of God arose early and went out, there was an army, surrounding the city with horses and chariots.  And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master!  What shall we do?”
               .16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
               .17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.”  Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw.  And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”  (NKJV)

Now, I’m not sure that Elisha actually saw the host on the mountain, but he knew–get that, he knew they were there.  His perspective came from faith.  He did not have to look into the spirit realm to see them, but God allowed the young servant a glimpse.  David penned, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, NKJV)  David didn’t have to see into the spirit world, because he had a Spirit perspective.  Jesus, before His accusers said, “Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53, NKJV)  Jesus had a different perspective than those that came to arrest Him that night.  
       People go astray in their heart because they look at the things of God with worldly eyes.  Their hearts are inclined to do what is right in their own eyes rather than what the Lord would have for them.  The world cannot understand you because of their perspective.  Paul writes, “But the unspiritual person [who does not have the Spirit of God] does not accept [what we teach about] revelatory insights and the gifts of the Spirit of God.  For they are folly and nonsense to him/her and [such revelations and teachings] cannot be grasped or understood [by an unspiritual mind] because they are spiritually examined and evaluated.” (1 Corinthians 2:14, Harbuck)
       We are surrounded by another world, another realm, that of the supernatural.  Now, don’t make this into a hoo-doo thing.  We are not to look into the realm of the spirits, for that is of God.  The eastern and transcendental thinkers say that the mind should be emptied and then one can enter into the spirit realm.  Dangerous, and unbiblical.  The Bible teaches that we are to meditate and fill our minds with the Word of God and focus on God Himself.  In other words, keep a proper Biblical perspective, for to please God we must have and walk by faith.  Walk in faith when the storms come and rage against you knowing that God is there.  Know that there is a purpose for the storm, and trust in Him.  I am reminded of the great song by Stuart Hamblen:

               “Known only to Him are the great hidden secrets,
               I’ll fear not the darkness when my flame shall dim.
               I know not what the future holds,
               But I know who holds the future,
               It’s a secret known only to Him.”

It was a land of splintered peaks, of deep, dry gorges, of barren mesas burnt by the suns of a million torrid summers.  The normal condition of it was warfare.  Life here had to protect itself with a tough, callous rind, to attack with a swift, deadly sting.  Only the fit survived.”

                    –William MacLeod Raine  (Gunsight Pass)

        “Salt is good; but if the salt has losts its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

                    –Luke 14:34-35 (NKJV)

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My Pastor always preaches good sermons, but last Sunday bordered on great.  I am going to borrow some thoughts from it as I write this morning‘s Echo.  His text was from Luke 8:22-25, where the disciples are being overcome by the storm and Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat.  Think about this, in fact, it might be more real than we think.  Storms come into our lives and often catch us by surprise.  Yes, yes, the media/weather people keep us informed, but who would have suspected that last week our area would have accumulated more than twenty inches of rain?  We have tornado watches and warnings, but that doesn’t mean that we are fully prepared should one swoop down where we are.  As Pastor preached, storms can even press the most experienced.  Some of those in the boat were experienced sailors, but with this storm, they feared for their lives.  They forgot, or they didn’t realize the magnitude of the Person in the boat with them.  And that is a lesson for us:  “God is bigger than any storm we may ever face.”

       “God’s intention for our life is always bigger than the storm.”  There are several things we could discuss here regarding His intention.  We could throw in career, goals, family, material goods, the image of His Son, and on.  However, one of His intentions is to get up to heaven to be with Him.  In regard to this He will help and guide.  Read through the Psalms of David, how God provided for him.  The enemy of our soul intends for storms to confuse us, to bring us fear and anxiety, to add chaos to our lives, and even, if possible, to destroy us.  But, remember!  God’s intentions are bigger than the storm–He is there with us in the midst of them.  We can be fully confident that God who began the good work in us will bring it to completion (Philippians 1:6).  

       The third point of his sermon:  “God’s inclination is bigger than our storm.”  The disciples were losing control of the ship, as often we lose control of the situation we find ourselves in–the storms that come into our lives can send us out of control as we are at wit’s end.  The situation, the circumstance, the issue, the problem, the turmoil, the terror, the overwhelming storm can drive us into despair.  Finally, the disciples realized who was in the boat with them, and they went to Jesus, no, they scurried to him with their anxieties and fears.  And what did the Lord do, He arose to meet the storm.  There was no fear in Him.  He wasn’t anxious or concerned.  In fact, as our Pastor said, the original Greek indicates that He was very calm and passive when He stood to meet the storm.  He was tranquil and the water’s became as calm as the Lord’s spirit.  Think of this–if God can alter the laws of nature there is not a problem that He cannot handle.

       I skipped the second part of the message because I want us to dwell, meditate, and contemplate upon it.  Perhaps you have thought of this before, but it hit me last Sunday.  “God’s interpretation is bigger than the storm.”  The disciples were afraid; Jesus was sleeping.  The storm caused them anxiety; Jesus was resting in peaceful slumber.  The storm was not as big to Jesus as it was to the disciples–there was a different perspective.  In the midst of our crisis we may bemoan our circumstance and wonder how we are going to survive, but God–He never sleeps nor slumbers and He is there.  He sees the beginning from the end.  Remember, He is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent.  He is not bound by time or space.  He recognizes things that are in the storm that we cannot see.  He knows the height of the waves and the structure of our character.  Perhaps the storm came to shore up a weak place in our character.  

       Greg A. Lane, wrote, “Every day we are faced with things that try to obstruct our view of Jesus.  We must be determined that nothing will stand in the way between us and the Master.”  I wrote that because of one of the most alarming Scriptures I pondered about on Tuesday and used in the Echo.  It is from Jeremiah, and it contains a warning and guidance.  “Thus says the LORD:  ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.  But they said, “We will not walk in it.”‘” (6:16, NKJV)  The way is there, don’t let anything–storm or miniscule item–block your view of Jesus.  There is a choice before you–continue to follow the “progressives”, follow those that detract or add to the Bible OR look and seek for the old paths.  Walk in the way the God has intended, then you will find rest, peace, and contentment.  Don’t let anything take your eyes off the One who is there!