Once upon a time, man had no choice. We could not choose to live godly because we had no power to do so.

Then Jesus entered the scene. He came from Heaven to Earth with a choice. He had the power to live godly. He had the power to lay down his life and take it up again. He had the power to suffer for our sins...or not.

He, who had  a choice, chose to die rather than to live, to suffer rather than to rest, to be mocked, beaten, and spat upon rather than to call on the host of Heaven. I was already condemned, without hope, with only my sin. Like the hopeless hordes of humanity, I was headed for a devil's hell, and that without remedy. I had no choice.

But at his choice I might could choose! Because he chose suffering and death, and he arose from death, I now can choose. I can choose life...or not. Now that I CAN choose, I MUST choose. This life will not come to me by accident. I must deliberately choose to live for Jesus. 

Certainly the Old Bible is true, "I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life" Deuteronomy 30:19

I was studying Psalm 51:10 where David prays, “Create in me a clean heart, oh God.” As I pondered, it occurred to me if David needed God to create a clean heart in him, his heart must have been dirty to begin with. And it was. David’s heart, my heart, your heart, all the hearts of people start out filthy with sin.  So we all need God to create a clean heart in us. But if we give him his way in our lives, ask him to clean us up like David did, our hearts won’t stay dirty.

We all have things in our lives that are dirty. Laundry, cars, desks, barns, boats, guns are all things that get dirty and need cleaning. But once I’ve cleaned something, say a desk, and made it a useful workspace, I don’t sit and think about the mess it used to be. I don’t let anyone make me feel bad about how dirty it was.

That’s what Satan does. He constantly reminds me of what I was before God cleaned me up. How dirty and sin-filled my life once was. The good news is I don’t have to let him. The Bible says, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things have passed away, and behold, all things have become new.”  Yes, all includes my heart!

 If I have believed in God and obeyed Him, He has put a clean heart in me where my filthy, dirty, sinful one used to be. And Satan cannot make me guilty of what God has forgiven.

1 John says, “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.”  God is in the cleaning business.

Well, some time has passed since I last wrote to you, but I trust the Lord has been good.  The passing of time does a couple of things in our world:

1. Time is a mirror by which we eventually see the truth.  The truth always comes out.

2. Time makes changes in physical things.

So, how have we changed?  How are circumstances and situations different than they were before?  Am I better, or worse?  What new thing is God trying to work in His time in our life?  And, knowing the answer to all these questions -- that is the "truth" of our lives -- will come out.

I am very pleased to announce that God is still on the Throne of Heaven. He has not missed any trial, temptation, or trouble that you have had to go through. He sees you where you are at this very moment in time. He saw you where you were, and He sees where you are going. God is not changed by time. The Bible say in 2 Peter 3 that "the Lord is not slack concerning His promises, as some men count slackness. But is long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." Furthermore Peter says, "that a day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."

That is the kind of God I want to serve.  A God that loves me and cares for me.  A God that is patient and faithful.  A God that doesn't change with the winds of time.

It is that very God we preach, teach, sing, and live out here at Sweden.  And that God is working right here in the midst of His people in this community.  We are preparing to ordain a new deacon for our congregation.  Brother Tom Johnson has been a member with us for the last 8+ years, and he will be ordained on February 15, 2015 at 2:00 pm.  We are very blessed by this, and I look forward to working with Tom for years to come to extend the Grace of our Lord for the "time" to come.  

Also we have prayed, and are continuing to pray, for God to send us a Revival.  We are planning a Revival Meeting to start on Monday, March 9 and last until Sunday morning, March 15, if not longer.  Three evangelists are planning to be with us: Bro. Brock Mitchell, Bro. Ray Dobbs, and Bro. Russell McDaris.  I believe God will work and move through the preached Word and communion of the saints during this Meeting.  

If you have time, please make plans to attend......come to think of it, you probably don't have time not to attend.  See you there!!
In Christ,
Joshua Strong -- Pastor

When our soul is awakened by the Lord's conviction we begin to try to mending things together as a covering. Adam and Eve sewed leaves together to hide their nakedness. But God already knew about it. He had already seen their lack and despair.  

Like Adam and Eve, we may try to do better. We may try to go do works of righteousness on our own. But we will fail as they failed. Our covering will be insufficient. Not because the world can see through it. Not because we can't fool our friends. Possibly the world won't see through it and our friends will be convinced. But we cannot trick God. He has already seen through our pitiful covering to the naked despair beneath it.

The Blood of Christ is the only sufficient covering for my sins, my mistakes, my faults, my lack, my weakness. Christ, according to his infinite mercies, has redeemed me. So when that conviction of the Spirit of God comes to me, and it awakens me from the spiritual daze that I've been living in, the thing I should do is run to grace. I should call out to God. I should trust in his righteouness that I can be made righteous (Romans 5), for that is the only way I can be.

Then, and only then, can I do right things for God. I can be what He calls me to be. I can fulfill His will in my life. You may not like that, but my Bible still says, "I can to all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13).

*With thanks to the late Mr. George Whitefield for inspiration from his original idea.

In the busy and fast-paced world in which we live, it seems people are often looking for answers; or, at least, they want to look like they are looking.  Sometimes, the hunt is a greater reward than the quarry.  Sometimes, the chase is more exciting than the finish.  That is true.  But, it is possible for me to get too busy.  It is possible for me to get ahead of God.  It is possible for me to go too fast.  It is possible for me to get occupied doing things, even “good” things, and miss the greatest blessings God has for me. 

All throughout scripture God says, “Wait.”

•   Whether it is at the side of the Red Sea, He says, “Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.”
  

•   Or David, in Psalm 40, caught in a pit and bogged down in mire, “waits upon the Lord.”  
  

•   Or, Jesus speaking to the disciples concerning the coming Day of Pentecost – “go to Jerusalem and wait” for the Spirit.
  

The Hebrews had just been delivered from Egypt.  They probably felt like “running” through the Red Sea, but God instructed them to hold on a little longer.  David was literally and spiritually stuck in ruts.  He was in a terrible predicament – not able to go forward, or back.  He could have continued to spin his tires, and he would’ve gotten more and more stuck.  Yet, God heard and answered his cry when David “waited upon the Lord.”  The disciples probably wanted to go out and change the world.  They had witnessed Christ perform many miracles.  They could’ve been chomping at the bit to “go unto the world and preach the Gospel.”  After all, that was their commission.  But, Jesus still said go to Jerusalem and “wait” first.

The moral of the story is this:  Waiting is doing something.  Sometimes, it is the best thing you can do.  In your life, don’t get so hectic with things – even good things, that you outrun God.  Talk to God.  Let God talk to you.  Find His will.  And, when He has given you the grace you need to accomplish His will, then go, and even run, in Jesus’ name and complete your task.

May God Bless You!

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking over the last few days about comparisons.  It seems I fall into the trap of constantly comparing one thing to something else: my ball team to another ball team, my farm to another farm, and my abilities to another person’s, etc….

The problem with making comparisons is two-fold.

1.      I don’t have all the facts about what I’m comparing with my team, my farm, and my abilities.  I can’t make a good judgment because I don’t have the all the information.

2.      When I do compare, and I do make my judgment, I have only two possible verdicts.  I’m either “deficient” – which brings me feelings of discouragement and inadequacy, or I decide that what I’ve got is “better” – which brings my pride to bear. Neither of these options is good, and neither of them follows the example of Christ. 

Christ does have all the knowledge and all the facts. He is fully equipped to make accurate comparisons. Christ is “better” than everyone else.  He is the perfect Son of God.

In spite of His absolute perfection, He still prayed to the Father, “not my will, but thine be done.” (St. Luke 22:42)

Christ is our example. After all, we are called Christians. We don’t need to compare ourselves to anyone or anything else.  We need to find God’s will, and we need to do God’s will. Like Jesus did.

 So, let’s stop comparing and follow His example.  Let’s be Christ-like.  Pray for me that I can, and I’ll pray for you, too.