Connecting Points

Monday, April 11, 2011

Today’s Topic: Faith Conquers Fear

Today’s Text: Isaiah 41:5-7 The islands have seen it and fear; the ends of the earth tremble. They approach and come forward; ⁶each helps the other and says to his brother, “Be strong!” ⁷ The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer spurs on him who strikes the anvil. He says of the welding, “It is good.” He nails down the idol so it will not topple.

Yesterday some serious storms went through our part of the world. Tornadoes touched down within twenty miles of our home. We had strong winds and hail and heavy rain, but no damage. Some people in our church had trees uprooted and they crashed into their home. Neighbors of theirs had cars destroyed. One rural residence lost a garage and a barn. Further east a tornado destroyed portions of a town. The weather can evoke fear and cause trembling.

No sooner had the skies cleared than pictures of the damage started to show up on Facebook. Then the local television stations had video. People were already coming together to start the clean-up. Men with chain saws were cutting fallen trees into manageable chunks. Kids were hauling branches off the streets. Everyone came together to help their neighbors. That’s what community is all about.

At first glance, the verses above appear to be a solid statement on the importance of community. Something has caused the people to fear and tremble. They come together with a plan, they encourage each other, and they work together to bring about a solution. The problem is that they are looking for the answer to their fear from a false God.

Let’s look at the context of what’s happening. God is informing the people of Israel that He is empowering a new king from the east (verse 2) to be a part of the fulfillment of His plan for Israel. His name was Cyrus, the King of Persia, who overthrew the Babylonians and gave permission to Ezra to take a contingency of people back to Israel to start rebuilding after the captivity. But the nations of the world were scared. They saw the ferocity of the Persians, and they trembled in fear.

They knew they had only one chance – supernatural intervention. So they started making idols to their false gods. They came to together nicely as a community, with a completely erroneous focus. They were putting all their eggs in a rotten basket and the bottom was about to fall out.

That’s when we reach verse eight. God says to the people of Israel, “But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend, I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.”

What a contrast. People in fear who put their faith in what their own hands can accomplish versus people in fear who conquer their fear by putting the faith in the One and Only God who eliminates all enemies and gives strength and hope.

The choice is yours.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, April 08, 2011

Today’s Topic: Rise Above It

Today’s Text: Isaiah 40:29-31 He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. ³⁰Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. ³¹But those who wait on the LORD will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. (NLT)

I know what it is to be exhausted. I have given up when strength gave out. I remember the most blatant example of this from my high school days. I was a fairly good athlete, and I was very fast. I went to a very large high school in St. Paul, Minnesota until I was a senior in High School. I never had a chance to participate in any organized sports except summer fast-pitch softball in a church league. I had lots of baseball experience as a kid. But then things changed.

Our family moved to a very small town in North Dakota and it was expected that everyone would participate in sports. It was the end of the football season, so I didn’t have that chance. But when basketball season started I was right there. The first night of practice the coach informed us that we may not be the most talented team in the district, but we would be the most physically conditioned team. He assigned us our first conditioning drill – seventy laps around the gym and that included going up and down the bleachers. Fortunately there were only bleachers on one side of the gym, and they only went up eight rows, but seventy laps is 560 steps up and 560 steps down.

I had never done anything like that before. The rest of the guys who had played every year knew what to expect. I didn’t. I wasn’t prepared. After about forty laps I ran for the bathroom and pretended to be sick. I needed a break. I gave up for a moment. I came back and forced myself to run until the rest were done, but I did not do seventy laps. I was exhausted.

The next night of practice we ran another seventy laps. That was followed by three nights of running eighty laps. That was followed by being in the best shape of my life, and we literally ran other teams off the floor during games. Even if we lost the game, we could have played another one. I found a strength I never thought I could know.

I started out complaining. I ended up stronger. That is the contrast offered at the end of Isaiah chapter forty. Instead of looking around and complaining, we should be looking up and rising above what’s around us. We tend to wonder if God really cares about how we are wandering around in our current situation, and then we whine because we choose to believe He doesn’t. But there is an alternative – perseverance that produces power. When we are humble enough to admit our weakness, God offers strength. New strength. Fly high above your issues strength. Run without pain strength. Walk without fainting strength.

Sometimes it’s the mundane routine that gets to us. Walk without fainting in the strength of the Lord. Often it’s the stress of life’s race. Run in the strength of the Lord. Maybe your struggling with the constant noise of problems and issues in your personal life or because of the political situation around us. Rise up on wings like an eagle and soar above it all in the presence of the Lord.

Remember – turkeys can fly too, but they can’t soar. They weren’t designed to. But you are. Choose to be an eagle and leave the turkeys behind.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, April 07, 2011

Today’s Topic: Complaining

Today’s Text: Isaiah 40:27-29 Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God”? Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

It doesn’t pay. It doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t do any good. It’s nothing more than venting or letting off steam. It has no value other than to create a false sense of accomplishment. It strokes our pride to think that our ideas for resolution just might work, yet nothing ever moves beyond the verbal exercise stage. Complaining is meaningless and worthless.

I know far too many complainers. I know that I am one of them. I observe some in the church whom I actually believe would like to re-define complaining as a spiritual gift. It would be included in the modern day list of gifts right along with gossip and apathy.

I fought the urge to complain this morning when I drove past the first gas station I saw. Gas prices have risen twenty cents per gallon in the last two weeks. Political candidates are declaring as one did this morning that the only reason he would be interested in fighting a war in Libya is if it would guarantee that we got the oil. When I put the two of those things together in my mind it came out as praise not complaining. I prayed and gave thanks to the Lord for two things: first, that the price of oil has nothing to do with the promises of God that He will care for me; and second, that prophecy is coming true right before our eyes as we walk into these last days before the return of Jesus.

For years I have had a policy as a Pastor: if you have a complaint or suggestion, I would be glad to listen to it on one condition – that you have thought through it well enough to offer a solution and you express a desire to be involved in implementing the solution. Otherwise all you are doing is complaining. That policy has worked very well, except in one church where they thought I was unapproachable because they seemed to like their complaining.

The worst part about complaining is that it shows the real object of our faith and the true trust level of our heart. That’s a very thought-provoking statement if you will take the time to think about it. The attitudes we present in public indicate what we really believe.

Christians who complain do great damage to the efforts of faithful followers of Jesus to show the world that the LORD is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. Complainers crush the truth that God does not grow tired or weary. Complainers undermine the understanding of God’s limitless understanding. Complainers reveal nothing about faith in God, and convince others of only one thing – that God doesn’t care and isn’t big enough to handle the problem. Complainers tell everyone else that they can’t find enough strength from God to make it through whatever problem they are complaining about.

“Lord Jesus, forgive me for complaining. Forgive me for my weak faith. Forgive me for how many times I have turned inward and expressed anger outward – anger that removes the credibility of my witness for you. Forgive me for not showing the people of the world, and even your people, that I trust you and believe you are in absolute control. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation, and fill me with the hope of glory so that others see that hope and ask me about it. Let my life and my words back up what I believe in my heart – You are the LORD, the everlasting God!”

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Today’s Topic: How Big Is God?

Today’s Text: Isaiah 40:12-14 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding?

Ten years ago the Lord led the leadership of our church to begin a process to plan for the growth of His Kingdom. We organized a long range planning team that had two responsibilities: to evaluate the ministries of our church and their projected growth and facility needs; and to evaluate all the possibilities for providing a facility to meet those ministry needs. Everything was to be ministry driven, with a clear focus on what God was doing in us and around us.

After over a year of study and prayer, recommendations were made that set us on a course that has yet to see its fulfillment. For nine years we have been watching God work as we took steps of faith. We were able to purchase ten acres of incredible land, and it’s all paid for. We went through some very difficult times in a business relationship we had with the company we thought God had brought to us to build our church. We lost money. We got discouraged. But we kept believing that God was in control and that this setback would also be used by our Father to direct us and teach us to trust Him.

God presented us with an alternative to building – in fact two alternative building sites. Then one was taken away, and the other became a part of someone else’s plans for expansion. We waited. We prayed. We trusted our Father who loves us. We admit there have been times of discouragement. The congregation has gotten impatient at times. The financial support has diminished, which we believe is due to the lack of clear direction rather than the condition of their hearts. But we know that God has a plan, and when the time is right the next step will be revealed.

Last night the picture became clearer. The expansion plans of the other organization have failed. The building we would like to buy is back on the market. Now we will begin the next step. God has shown us which way to go for now. He knew it all along. He just wanted us to grow in our faith as we waited on Him. That waiting makes us stronger.

Is this God’s final decision? Can we really know? We know He has shown us that we must take the next step. But the ultimate outcome is His. We can trust Him.

These are hard lessons to learn. We want answers now. We want to know what God knows. But without faith it is impossible to please God. And it will take faith to move forward.  Faith that God will provide the resources and the wisdom for negotiating that will bring Him all the glory. Faith that God’s people will respond to this direction with faith and make renewed financial commitments to the project. Faith that God will provide for the needs of those who are selling the building. Faith that God is big enough to handle every detail and make it happen.

Start praying. Start giving. God is moving. We will move with Him.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, April 04, 2011

Today’s Topic: Contrasts

Today’s Text: Isaiah 40:10-11 (New Living Translation) Yes, the Sovereign LORD is coming in all his glorious power. He will rule with awesome strength. See, he brings his reward with him as he comes. He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.

I hope you are not getting bored with all the stories of the mission trip I took to the Bayou of Louisiana. I prayed before I left that the Lord would combine my reflections on Isaiah 40 with the applications of the trip, and that is what He did. These articles are the product of that.

Contrast makes things more visible. Try this right now: on your computer screen find the contrast control and set it to its lowest setting. How does that look? Washed out, isn’t it? Now set it to its highest setting. Quite a difference isn’t it. Contrast makes things stand out more clearly.

My dear friend Pastor Jerry is man of contrasts. How I admire and respect him. God is using this humble man to accomplish great things for God’s glory. His long full beard seems out of place in the hot and humid weather of the Bayou. It may be a carry-over from the hippie days on the west coast when he ministered to that generation alongside people like the late Keith Green.

On the outside he appears rough. However, on the inside he’s soft and supple. By his own admission he struggles with frustration, but in reality the Holy Spirit shows more than his flesh. He is to me the model of meekness like Jesus. He is a man of great strength but it is under the absolute control of the Holy Spirit so that his nature is that of a shepherd.

I watch Pastor Jerry a lot when I am there. I am learning to appreciate his sense of humor that is revealed by the gleam in his eyes. I am blessed by his sensitive heart that is seen by the tears in his eyes. His strength is revealed in the calluses on his hands. His compassion is revealed as he uses those same hands to care for his wife and the sheep of his flock.

Strength under control: that’s what meekness is. That’s who Jerry is. That’s who Jesus is.

The Sovereign Lord is coming in glorious power. He will rule in awesome strength. And when He comes to His people He has all of that power under control. How thankful we must be for that, or we would surely die. Yet Jesus comes to us as a shepherd. He feeds us. He carries us. He holds us close to His heart. He gently leads us. He doesn’t force us. He doesn’t push us. He doesn’t manipulate us. He doesn’t overpower us. He comes along side of us and befriends us.

I need to be more like Brother Jerry. I need to be more like Jesus. Far too many times I fall back on my own strength and let it rise to the forefront of my circumstances and relationships. I take control. I push. Oh that I would be more gentle in spirit and let the Lord Jesus not only shepherd me but then shepherd others through me.

Maybe you have issues of control. Maybe your strength comes to the surface more than it should. It’s possible that the way you communicate with and respond to people comes across harsh and frustrated. It may be that some wrong of the past corrupts your present relationship with someone. Maybe it’s your own insecurities that you cover with an attitude of power and strength and control.

Whatever it may be, will you seek the heart of Jesus and learn meekness? Fine tune the contrast on the screen of your life so Jesus is more clearly visible.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Friday, April 01, 2011

Today’s Topic: Boldness

Today’s Text: Isaiah 40:9 You who bring good tidings to Zion, go up on a high mountain. You who bring good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid; say to the towns of Judah, “Here is your God!”

It was a thought-provoking question. It came from a sincere desire to be a better witness for Jesus Christ at her place of work. “How can I be more bold to talk about my relationship with Jesus? Why do I fear doing that at the workplace?”

I discerned in her question an attitude of fear based on a misconception that witnessing means convincing and convicting. I believe that is true for many of us. We have the idea that being a witness means winning others to Christ. While that is our ultimate objective, the actual process of introducing someone to Jesus Christ should be much less threatening. A witness is not someone who convinces others of what they need – that’s the Holy Spirit’s ministry in their heart. A witness is someone who testifies to what they have experienced personally in their own life.

As I explained this to her, she was delighted. It released her from the fear that had gripped her and kept her silent. “Just put your everyday conversations into the context of praise and thanksgiving to God and let that be your witness. You don’t have to convince people that they need God – you just have to show them the reality of God in your own life.”

That leads me to ask this question to myself and all of you – “How do the people of the world see the reality of God in our lives?” They certainly don’t see that I trust God when we complain about the financial crisis of higher gas prices and lower income. How can they see the peace of God when we worry about the political crisis in our city, state, nation, or world? They are unable to see the reality of the love of God when all they can see is the love we have for self and the world. People need to see those who claim to love God making sacrifices for the Kingdom of God and for people in need.

We claim to have been transformed by the love of God. We claim to trust Him. We claim to walk by faith and not by sight. Yet the unsaved people of the world claim that they cannot see the reality of God because we look so much like they do. We have the good news of the Gospel and yet it seems what dominates our conversations is the bad news of the world.

It is time for us to stand up boldly and tell the world about our God. Not condescendingly, but compassionately. Not arrogantly but passionately. Not with fingers pointed at people but with hands lifted in praise to Jesus our Savior.

Lift up your voice with a shout and with no fear. Proclaim to everyone that Jesus is Lord of your life. And let the way you live prove it.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Today’s Topic: Firm Foundation

Today’s Text: Isaiah 40:6-8   A voice says, “Cry out.”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

“All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the LORD blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.”

You really can’t tell by standing on it, but the ground is sinking. In fact, it’s already several feet below sea level. That’s what it’s like on the bayou. The road serves as a dike to hold back the sea. When it floods, and it usually does during a hurricane, it’s easy to have three to four feet of water everywhere. In addition to the flood threat, the land mass is actually sinking at a rate of up to two inches per year.

Because of those two realities, the people who live there need unique houses. They need to live above ground level – well above the potential flood level. The houses are built on pillars, sometimes up to 12 feet above the ground. Many of the homes were at ground level at the time of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. That’s why the people of our church continue to travel to the bayou and help rebuild homes for people who are still living in terribly rotten conditions.

The placing of the pillars for the home is the most important part of the rebuilding process. Huge treated telephone poles are brought in. Holes are drilled into the ground at least 8 to 10 feet deep and then filled with concrete to within two feet of the surface. Holes are then drilled through the poles two feet from the bottom, through which thick rebar is passed. The rebar extends out from the pole 2 feet, and each end is then welded to another piece of rebar that connects them all forming a 2 foot by 2 foot square around the pole. The pole is then placed into the concrete-filled hole, and then concrete is poured around it and over all the rebar. This is done to keep the pole from sinking into the ground. If the ground does sink, the pole moves with it and maintains the integrity of the home above.

I went into that detail for a purpose. It’s a lot of work to lay the right foundation to build a home upon. It’s also a lot of work to build the right foundation to build a life upon. People have tried lots of options and alternatives, but there is only one foundation that cannot sink or fail – the Word of God.

Our lives – the houses in which we live on this earth – are to be built on the pillars of truth in God’s Word: pillars that are firmly grounded on the Rock of Jesus Christ. Any pillar not resting on the Rock is sure to shift and sink, causing the house to crack and fall.

In the average bayou house there are at least 12 pillars, but there could be more depending on the size of the house. I’ve seen some houses with more than 20. But every one of them is put down the same way with the assurance of the same stability.

The number of pillars in our lives varies based on each individual’s choice of how extensive their life will be – how many activities they will be involved in. But each pillar must be placed on the same foundation of God’s Word. Every choice we make for recreation, career, relationships, hobbies, finances, or ministry becomes a pillar of our life, and it must be resting on the truth of God’s Word. If not, our lives will fall apart. Try as hard as we might to keep them together, there is no hope that our houses will survive unless they are grounded on the Bible.

Check the pillars of your life today – those things you think are indispensable and define you. Are they really resting on the promises of God’s Word, or are they settling into the sinking sands of the world. It may be time to remodel your house.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Today’s Topic: Level Ground

Today’s Text: Isaiah 40:4-5 “Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”

It was tedious, but it had to be done. After all, the work they were doing was being done unto the Lord. Sure, they could have skimped, but eventually that would have caused problems. The easy fix is not always the right fix.

So while I tended to some plumbing issues, three of our crew took to their knees and starting filling in all the nail holes and imperfections in the floor with a fast-setting putty. After it was dry, they hand sanded every spot to make sure it was perfectly smooth. They did this in every room of the house. It took them almost two days to complete. They were tired and sore from all that bending and kneeling. But now the floor was ready to accept  the free-floating vinyl.

You see, every one of those flooring nails and screws, if not puttied, could loosen and raise up and cause damage to the flooring that would be laid over them. Every indentation in the wood would cause the flooring to become dented at that point. Every bump or low spot had to be made level, and it had to be a permanent fix or the floor would be damaged.

Our lives are like that. We are filled with rough spots and deep dents. Our character is rugged. The seemingly insurmountable mountains of circumstances drive us into valleys of pain and despair. There is more preparation to do before the fullness of God’s glory can be laid upon us.

This morning one of my facebook friends posted a quote from the devotional book entitled Streams in the Desert. “Beloved, never try to get out of a dark place except in God’s timing and in His way. A time of trouble and darkness is meant to teach us lessons we desperately need. Premature deliverance may circumvent God’s work of grace in our lives. Commit the entire situation to Him and be willing to abide in darkness, knowing He is present.”

God’s promises make that possible. Today the Word of the Lord comes through the prophet Isaiah with such a promise – Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.

Last Thursday afternoon at 4:30 we put the last piece of trim in place after laying all the flooring in the house we had prepared. Anyone who walks in will see only the finished product. They will not see any of the putty that was used. They will not see any of the dust that was created from the sanding and smoothing process. They will see no bumps or dents. They will only see the beauty of the finished product.

So it is with our lives. Every rough spot, rugged place, and mountain will be made smooth. Every valley will be raised up. And when God has finished His work in us, His glory is all that will be seen. So let God do His work. Let us cooperate with Him by rejecting any notion of pride in our prayers, our personal life, and our choices. Let Him smooth out all the rough spots of sin in us, and  lift us up out of the valleys of discouragement, depression, and despair. Let Him turn your rugged places into productive and pleasant plains. His glory is about to be revealed.

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Monday, March 28, 2011

Today’s Topic: See the Finish Line

Today’s Text: Isaiah 40:1-2 Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.

Where do I begin? We spent 4 days travelling almost 3,000 miles, one day worshiping and relaxing, and four days working in 85 degree temps with high humidity. It was tremendous. We joined God in doing His work and we received the greatest blessings. God’s Kingdom principle of being more blessed by giving than receiving is proven true once again.

I really am struggling with how to begin telling you about the ministry that we did and the people we touched with the grace and love of Jesus. This may seem a little disjointed, but here goes.

When we arrived on the bayou in southern Louisiana, those of us who had been there right after the hurricanes were impressed with how the landscape had recovered. At the same time we were also saddened by the number of homes that had once been under water and were still standing on the ground and being occupied. We actually worked on one such home that had no running water and a broken sewer pipe with raw sewage running down the back of the house onto the ground. We fixed the water and the sewer pipe, but the house needs a lot of work and needs to be raised up.

Living in that house are a grandma and grandpa, their 26-year old disabled daughter, and two grandchildren who were left there by their mother who ran off. The water hasn’t worked for weeks. They get their water through a garden hose hooked up to the neighbor’s house. It’s all cold. They flush the toilet with a bucket. They bath in cold water. In order to fix everything, two of our men had to crawl under the house with only 18 inches of clearance. They slid through rats and spiders and sewage to reach the broken water line. They cleaned the sewage from the back of the house to repair the broken pipe. They went back under the house and strapped up all the other water lines. It was a mess, but now it works. Grandma said she couldn’t wait to take a hot shower.

Serving people. That’s what Jesus did. He went into the sewage of sin and served us. He saved us. Pastor Jerry Moser from the church these people attend said this to me about the conditions these people live in: “When we stand before the Lord someday, how will we explain to Him that we let someone right next door to us rot to death?” Those two men who went under that house are true servants of Jesus. They are real world heroes, although they would never want to be called that.

That was just one small part of our mission trip, but it taught me a huge lesson. How far was I really willing to go to bring comfort to others? Would I have been able to ignore and conquer my claustrophobia and crawl under that house? If I lived in that house, how long would I have put up with those conditions? How long must we wait for the comfort we have been promised?

In Isaiah 40, God is telling the people that their hard service is completed, their sins are paid for, and comfort is coming. But wait, it would be 100 years before their land would be invaded and they would be taken captive. Then it would be another 70 years before their captivity would end. Yet in the mind of God it was already done. They were to take comfort in the promise of God for a glorious outcome even while it was a long way off.

Oh if I could only have that kind of faith. Why do the problems of today overwhelm me so much? Why is my focus always on the hurdles I keep tripping on rather than on the finish line where Jesus stands with outstretched arms to greet me and reward me for my faithful service?

Whatever you are struggling with today, God’s promises are not voided by your circumstances. No matter how long you have been in the middle of this hardship, God’s comfort is available. Your sins have been forgiven. In the mind of God your time has been served. The lessons He wants to teach you are being learned. You are becoming more and more like Jesus. Just keep your eyes on the finish line. Jesus will get you there!

Pastor John

Connecting Points

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Today’s Topic: God’s Word Endures Forever

Today’s Text: Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.

This will be the last official Connecting Points article….for a while. Not forever I hope, but who knows. Tomorrow is filled with meetings for me as I prepare to leave on Friday for the southernmost tip of Louisiana on a missions trip with 26 other people from my church. We’ve been going there ever since Hurricane Katrina, and there is still so much to be done. People are still living in their homes that are below sea level and were seriously damaged in the flooding. We have made a commitment to them that we will stand with them and work for them to restore their land, and we will be faithful to that promise.

God is faithful to His promises as well. What He has spoken cannot be undone. All around us everything that has been corrupted by sin is falling apart. Everything about this creation is deteriorating. But not the word of God. It stands forever.

For the next 10 days I am going to dive deep into the fortieth chapter of Isaiah. In its depths lie pearls of truth waiting to be retrieved, just like we will see oyster fishermen doing on the bayou. These are truths that never grow old, fade, or tarnish. They are the word of God, and they stand forever.

Today I challenge you to spend time in God’s word every day, and discover the wealth of wisdom for walking in the world. A walk in the Word is required for a walk in the world. Without the Word of God, we have nothing permanent or trustworthy to stand upon. It may seem that what we have built for ourselves in this world is trustworthy and sufficient, but it is not. Do not be deceived – everything in this world will pass away. It will fall apart. It will crumble. Only the Word of God stands forever.

I am excited to see what God brings out of my 10 day study in this chapter. Maybe while I’m gone I will get a chance to share some of it with you. If not, when I get back we will dive in together. In the meantime, start your own pearl-hunting adventure. See what gems God will give to you.

Pastor John