Q: Can you please explain what Isaiah 55:6 means regarding “while he (God) may be found.” Is that related to when we die we can find him for salvation reasons?

A: As with much of Scripture, there are often different dimensions to a verse, depending on the angle or focus from which you are viewing it.

That said, I think the “plea” or “invitation” (even there you could see some variation – there’s a difference, right? Is this an impassioned, desperate plea, or simply an invitation? perhaps even a warning?) that is in view here indicates that there is a time, when someone won’t be able to find, call upon or turn to the Lord. I think that our wider understanding of Scripture and theology says that there are some times when this might occur:

1. when a person is “lost” in sin, and cannot see their way out, or find their way to the Lord. (They’re just looking in the wrong direction and wrong places.)
2. when a person’s heart is hardened.
3. once our earthly life is over.
4. when Jesus returns.

The idea is that if a person is hearing God call them now, and they are being drawn to Him, not to let that opportunity be lost. Thankfully we believe that we don’t need to find our way to God – Jesus says that He “seeks and saves” the lost. (c.f. Luke 19:10). But what this verse reminds us is that if Jesus comes to rescue you … don’t resist Him, or let Him “leave” without you.

You know the old joke – “I sent you two boats and a helicopter!” … they didn’t receive the rescue when it was to be found. That may be something like what’s in view here.

Blessings,

PA

just about everybody that you encounter is going through some sort of personal battle or struggle that you know nothing about.

I see it in pastoral ministry all the time. And we are fortunate if that person chooses to let us know about what they’re experiencing.  Because then, we can offer a word of encouragement. The truth is,

you have no idea what God might do through a single word of encouragement!

Perhaps one of the most well-known Bible stories about personal suffering is that of Job. He was a really good man, but he suffered great loss. In a very short time, he had all of his children, servants, livestock and crops taken from him! But when his friends tried to comfort him, they ended up blaming him for his own problems. To which Job responded,

“I have heard many things like these; you are miserable comforters, all of you! – Job 16:2

Do you have any friends like that? They mean well, but they aren’t helping you with their commentary – or their social media posts. That’s why you and I need to learn better how to use our words to encourage. Because …

Our words can build up or our words can tear down.

“The tongue has the power of life and death…” – Proverbs 18:21a

I’d like to give you two simple TOOLS TO ENCOURAGE. The first is kind of a baby-step, or a fundamental of encouragement. It is simply:

1. If you think of something good, say it!

So often we are too quick to share words of criticism. But what if we shared encouragement instead? What if we told our coworkers, our children or our spouse all of the good that we see in them?  As Philippians 4:8 suggests, we could simply tell them whatever is noble, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, excellent or praiseworthy that we see in them.  In the sharing of those few words we could lift their spirits – and maybe even change the course of their lives.

The second tool of encouragement is something that I learned more than a decade ago from my friend and mentor, Roy Comstock. He wrote about this in depth in Volume 3 of his Mentoring Series, “Lifestyle Characteristics of a Godly Life.” And that is:

2. Prepare & Memorize “Word Power” Statements!

What this means is that for every negative emotion, fear, anxiety, worry, guilt, failure or shortcoming that you experience, you find a corresponding Bible verse where God speaks a word of hope and promise.  Then you write that in the first-person in a way that speaks encouragement and hope to you personally. Here are a number of examples:

• No weapon formed against me will ever prosper. (Isaiah 54:17)
• I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
• I am blessed coming in and going out. (Deuteronomy 28:6)
• I am redeemed and forgiven. (Colossians 1:13-14)
• I am a new creation in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
• I’m a child of the living God. (Romans 9:26)
• I am freed from the power of sin. (Romans 6:18)
• I have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
• I am the workmanship of God created In Christ Jesus to do good works which He prepared in advance for me to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
• My name is in the Lamb’s book of life. (Luke 10:20)
• Jesus is always with me. (Matthew 28:20)
• Through Him I am more than a conqueror. (Romans 8:37)
• I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

So when you find yourself like Job, or King David who wrote in the Psalms,

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” – Psalm 42:5

You will be able to stay positive and encouraged by recalling a statement of comfort, hope and power from God’s Word. In fact, I encourage you not to keep these Word Power statements to yourself, but share them liberally with others who need encouragement. Remember, they are going through struggles whether they reveal them to you or not. And never underestimate what God can do through a single word of encouragement that you share.

May God bless you as you fight against the negativity, uncertainty, and fear that the enemy would seek to use to steal your joy. And may you be filled with hope and a peace that passes all understanding as you guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord!

In Him,

Pastor Augie

Let’s Pray: Father, thank You for supporting us and upholding us in the battles we face. Help us to seek You when we’re in need of strength and may we use our mouths and our actions to encourage the people around us with words of promise and hope that are found in You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

You can listen to or watch this full message online by clicking here.

I really don’t want to sound negative, but I’m a bit tired of all the negative talk going on in the world today.  Are you?  No matter which way you look or which side of an issue you’re on, there’s always somebody saying something negative.

Admittedly there are a lot of negative and difficult things happening these days – everything from coronavirus deaths to unemployment statistics or from racial tensions to political differences.  It’s all around us and not easily avoided. All of this negativity can lead us to be emotionally on edge and more easily angered or discouraged.  That’s why it’s so important for us to look to God’s Word for encouragement and to choose faith instead of negativity. Because simply stated …

a negative outlook doesn’t lead to a positive life.

Would you agree with that?  If that’s true, then how can a person of faith be optimistic in the face of such negativity around us?  The outlook of our lives depends on it!  To get at the answer to that question, let’s start with a simple definition of optimism. Lexico.com states in part that …

Optimism is “hopefulness and confidence about the future…”

But that raises the question, confidence in what? I would like to propose a definition of optimism that completes the definition from a Christian standpoint.

“Optimism is the unwavering expectation that our loving God is working every situation for our good.”

Doesn’t that sound optimistic?  But what would allow us to say such a thing? While there are multiple verses in Scripture that would support such a definition, perhaps the most direct and relevant statement is made by the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 8 …

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

I’ve added an underline to emphasize that God is working in all things – in every situation. “All things” might mean something as seemingly insurmountable as the coronavirus pandemic or as mundane as your difficult boss. It might mean something as seemingly impossible to solve as the racial tensions in our country or as commonplace as paying the bills. The important thing for us to grasp is that …

whatever is causing negativity in your life – it is not beyond the reach of our God.

And the mistake that people of faith often make is reacting to difficult and negative situations as if there were no God and as though faith does not matter. The truth is, that things which seem completely impossible to us are possible for God and that no matter what challenges we face, we have a hope that goes beyond our present circumstances. The Apostle Paul says (emphasis mine),

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” – Romans 8:18

… and remember that he wrote that after being beaten many times, thrown out of town, arrested and imprisoned.  Talk about remaining optimistic in the face of negativity! The Apostle Paul can say this because he knows that …

what consumes your thoughts controls your life.

So he learned that rather than look at the present challenges, he would instead fix his eyes on Jesus and place his hope in the glory that one day will be revealed in Him, and also in us as He works through us. He learned to be content in every circumstance – even in the negativity and struggles of life.

So what are you struggling with today? Where are you hurting? What have you lost? What is grieving your spirit and stealing your joy? Might I suggest that you entrust that to an all-powerful and all-loving God who is working every situation toward your good?

Let’s Pray: Lord Jesus, help us to remain positive in the face of negativity. And help us to place our hope in you. Thank you that we can trust that you are at work in every situation – no matter how hard or how negative. And help us to have the confidence that you are working all things together for our good. May you be glorified in us, even in our struggles.  Amen.

You can listen to or watch this full message online by clicking here.

What are you hopeful about? What robs your hope and steals your peace? In this video, I talk about how some indicators around us give us signs of hope, while others give us signs of further frustration or even danger. Where, then, do you find hope? The apostle Peter tells us to

“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15).

When life is uncertain, God is not.

God’s Peace be with you,

Pastor Augie

Being ‘desperate’ will make us go to places we would otherwise not have gone. So will worry!

In my sermon on Sunday May 3rd, we looked at a desperate, worried and fearful Old Testament Biblical Character – the prophet Elijah. In 1 Kings 19, God whispers to him, “What are you doing here?”

When we turn to worry, we blind ourselves from seeing God’s faithfulness in the past and from trusting Him in the future. When it comes to worry – just don’t go there.

In this video, I talk about how Easter changes our perspective on a world that could otherwise be filled with fear. Because of Easter, Christians have a message of hope to share. As we look to the future and the “restart” following the Coronavirus shutdown, how will our churches be different? And why would we worry when we have a God that is powerful over even the grave?!

Some Scriptures and References:

¹⁹ On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ²² And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. – John 20:19-22

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? – Matthew 6:25-26

Thom Rainer, “Your Church is Now a Blank Slate” https://tinyurl.com/ThomRainerBlankSlate

Pastoral Leadership Institute: Pivot & Pioneering, https://tinyurl.com/PLIPivotAndPioneer

May you stay healthy and joyful in the Lord and look to Jesus instead of to your fears!

in Him,

Pastor Augie