PASTOR'S CORNER

Something to ponder as we go about our daily routine!! I found this over at http://www.gracegems.org/ "And just as each person is appointed to die once--and after that comes judgment!" Hebrews 9:27. Jesus said "And they will go away into eternal punishment; but the righteous will go into eternal life." Matthew 25:46. The question you need to ask yourself is..........Where will you stand on that day? "The state of things after the judgment--is changeless and without end. The misery of the lost, and the blessedness of the saved--are both alike forever. Let no person deceive us on this point. It is clearly revealed in Scripture. The eternity of God, and heaven, and hell--all stand on the same foundation. As surely as God is eternal--so surely is heaven an endless day without night, and hell an endless night without day!"   J.C. Ryle

Phil 1:1-6 How in the world are we to have joy in the midst of difficulty? The well-known Bible scholar, Matthew Henry was once attacked by thieves and robbed of his money. He wrote these words in his diary: "Let me be thankful. First, I was never robbed before. Second, although they took my purse, they didn't take my life. Third, although they took my all, it was not much. Fourth, let me be thankful because it was I who was robbed and not I who did the robbing." As I said last week in my introduction of Philippians............true joy is found in Jesus Christ. Everlasting and true joy is only found in the Son of God who died and conquered the grave on our behalf. Heb 12:2 “.................who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” For the true joy that we find is found in the Gospel!! “As a third-century man was anticipating death, he penned these last words to a friend: “

I found this wonderful post over at Gospel Coalition, and I thought I would share it with you!! This is very humbling and informative to Christian marriages.....Worth reading and meditating on......God bless and to Him be the glory in our marriages. • Because of the gospel, Christians have become new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17). Therefore, in our marriage, our past does not define us, confine us, or determine our future. • Because of the gospel , we are forgiven (Ephesians 1:7). Therefore we can live free of all guilt and condemnation for every sin, and we can trust that God, in his mercy, will be gracious to us. • Because of the gospel , we can forgive, just as Christ forgave us (Ephesians 4:32). Nothing done against us compares to our sin against God. Therefore all offenses, hostility, and bitterness between Christians can be completely forgiven and removed. • Because of the gospel , we are accepted by God (Romans 15:7). Therefore we are not dependent on a spouse for wh

 Introduction to the Book of Philippians We live in a generally sad world, a fallen world well acquainted with despair....depression......disappointment......dissatisfaction, a longing for lasting happiness that often never comes to pass. People today are consumed by the passionate pursuit of happiness! Either through: self help books, motivational speakers, advice columnists claiming to offer the key to happiness, but for many it leads to dead ends! What does it mean to have true joy? Is it caused by succeeding in your job or profession? Is it getting good grades in school? Is it having money and the comforts of this life? Is it watching your favourite actor/actress or sporting event (Super Bowl or Stanley Cup)? Is it hitting your first home run in little league? Don’t get me wrong these are wonderful things!...........but these things I mentioned above, have anything to do with what true joy looks like! But the world equates this with being true joy!! See society calls joy....

Gal 5:22-23 What makes a tree fruitful? • Is it the location and the soil? • Is it the climate? • Is it the branches and the leaves? • Is it the trunk of the tree? • Is it the roots that make a tree fruitful? It's none of those things! It can’t be location or the soil! It can’t be the climate....the branches......or the leaves! Why would I say such a thing? If you have ever been in the Okanogan Valley of British Columbia, you would understand what I mean! Do you realize that there are thousands of beautiful flourishing tree’s sitting on the mountain side of those 9000 ft beasts of rock! Some of the most beautiful Douglas fir trees grow on these beautiful landscapes! So going back to my question! What makes a tree fruitful? A farmer one time planted two fruit trees on opposite sides of his property. The one he planted to provide a hedge hide the unsightly view of an old landfill; the other to provide shade to rest under near a cool mountain stream which ran down beside hi