From Pastor Andrew’s Desk
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Greetings FCCB Family!
I hope to see many of you at the Yard Sale this Saturday from 9:00 am-12:00 pm. It looks like some good items have been donated. We are hoping to raise money to help pay for a solid new playground for the children.
Also, very importantly I am happy to report that the Sunday School will be truly worth attending as Karol Joseph, of Jews for Jesus, will be sharing her journey, building relationships and sharing the good news with Jewish people and many others. I hope you can attend as it will be a blessing to all of us. Also, in this Sunday’s service we’ll have a special baptism as
Vic Pimentel will be making the step of being baptized. Vic came to faith in Jesus Christ a few weeks ago in a service and so this will be a wonderful, public way to celebrate his new faith and following the Lord. Vic also has terminal brain cancer so we want to continue to pray for him and support him in this very difficult time. But I had coffee with him this week and I can testify that his joy is exponentially increasing due to Christ— amazing to see that witness! This Sunday, I will be preaching on Proverbs 3:1-24 as I will be starting a series on “commitment to things that matter.” Proverbs are wisdom sayings, many of which were written by King Solomon. Although he made some major blunders later in his life, when he was walking with God in his earlier years he was truly the wisest man on earth. Verse 1 starts by saying,
My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart. One of the greatest dangers for us all is to fall into what I like to call, “spiritual amnesia.” If we are not careful to be in His word and community we can forget the goodness of God and His ways and commands. Seeking His presence, meditating on the Word, and walking with His people is so absolutely essential. Verse 3 states,
let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck and write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of men and people.
Many people wear crosses around their necks as fashion statements. While this can look nice, it often goes no deeper than outward adornment. When the writer is talking about these amazing Christ-like qualities, he is not talking about outward ‘band aids’. Rather he is talking about deep issues of the heart. By submitting to Him, He leads and guides. While doing this, the Lord also gives us favor before Himself. It is so tempting to go about life just trying to please people. This can be okay, temporarily, but in the long term it can be absolutely exhausting. Someone always needs something. No, we want to seek to please Christ and in doing so He gives us favor before people to glorify His name and draw people to Him. Verses 5-6 are two of the most oft-quoted and famous passages of Scripture: Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all of your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. I have never read these verses with someone in a Bible Study when they have not just come off the page for people. I have thought this week about the why these verses resonate with so many. One reason may be that they are so counter-intuitive and “other worldly”. We are taught our whole lives to use our minds and instincts to figure things out, to solve problems. This verse is essentially saying “throw that out.” It’s not that we don’t think astutely as we come to critical decisions. Rather, decision making should not be our primary modus operandi. We are to surrender to God and trust His ways. Then as we trust people, we need to get to know them. We need to know that they are completely true in what they do and say. This is why it is so good to spend more and more time basking in the presence of the Lord, His Word and Christ-centered community. By doing so, we learn to trust Him and His ways – even (and this is key) when those ways don’t always make sense to us! When our paths seem like ‘squiggly lines’, if we are trusting Christ, the squiggles are actually a straight line toward Him. Where can we trust Him more and step out in faith? Verse 7 again challenges human knowledge as primary.
Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
When everyone seeks to do what is ‘right’ in their own eyes, there is no truth. Lawlessness ensues because it is human nature to assume that we (as individuals) are right most of the time. Yeah, we make mistakes here and there, but overall we are right….right? Proverbs is protecting us from making these assumptions. It simply claims that God knows best….always. Therefore, the safest bet is to trust Him in all things. Help us to trust you Lord! Then verses 9-10 say
honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. We are not to give God our “leftovers”. As an act of worship, we are to give “first fruits.” Proverbs was written in an agrarian culture so the Israelites knew exactly what this meant and also of the tension in doing so. BUT they trusted God and gave even when it “hurt.” The joy of giving ensues and others are truly blessed and the Kingdom advanced. Not only that, but as we give in other areas, i.e. our time and talents, God honors this and ministers to others through it! I will be preaching up to verse 24 – so enjoy some time reading if you are able and I can’t wait to see all of you on Sunday as we worship the Lord! Blessings, Pastor Andrew
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