PASTOR'S CORNER

Gal 3:1-5 There is something about us that causes us to want to take control of our lives rather than walk in step with God’s will for us.  This is even true with our spiritual growth.  For example!  “There was a young man who was powerfully touched by the Holy Spirit of Christ at his salvation. He was so excited about his new relationship with the Lord Jesus that he wanted to do all he could to please Him, and that was great. However, as time went along he felt like he had to start paying the Lord back for all the things he had done wrong. That is when he started losing his joy and started relying upon his works to obtain favor with God. His walk with the Lord started to become a burden to carry, rather than a walk that revealed the grace of God in his life. The good news is that it was not long before he allowed the Holy Spirit to replace his joy by reflecting on the grace of God.” Sadly though this doesn’t always happen! And many are still lost in the bondage of works

Gal 2:11-21 Way back in the 1950’s a singing group named The Platters had a hit song called The Great Pretender .  The first verse goes like this: Oh yes, I'm the great pretender, Pretending I'm doing well. My need is such, I pretend too much, I'm lonely but no one can tell. The apostle Peter could have sung that song with a couple of minor changes: Oh yes, I’m the great pretender, Pretending I’m just like a Gentile. My need is such, I pretend too much, I’m a hypocrite and Paul can tell! Here in this portion of Paul’s letter we see Peter doing something that God never called Him to do! To pretend to be someone you’re not and to change others to be like you in order to find grace and peace with God. Peter was a man who had a right belief/faith, but wrong practice at times to fit in.  See! On one hand Peter preached the clear gospel faithfully and on other hand he reverting back to the traditions of men out of fear. This isn’t something new

Psalm 61:1-8 Have you or do you ever feel defeated when it comes to your prayer life?  If you’re having a hard time answering that question, looking back to your prayer life from this past week or month. How many times did you pray for the list of people and things in your bulletin? How many times did you pray with your church family? How many times did you pray with your children? How many times did you pray with your spouse? How many times did you pray for your spouse or child? How many times did you pray for a stranger you saw or meet at the local store? How many times did you seek God through prayer with your personal spiritual problem? How many times did you see the value and blessing in prayer? I’m not here to hurt your feelings or to make you feel guilty……. I ask those questions because we’re all guilty of this….myself included; there are many days when I fail at the privilege that we have been given in prayer. I want to look at some things that hinde