To God's Beloved At Cloverdale Baptist Church:
Today in history, 1864, Fanny Crosby wrote her first verses for a composer William Bradbury, she went on to write over 8, 000 hymns and Gospel songs. She was not strong from a human perspective, in fact went blind shortly after birth. Her father died when she was very young, and she was raised by her mom and grandma, grounded in the wonder of the Gospel and the beauty of theology. Her impact continues to ring in our ears through songs like, Blessed Assurance, and To God Be The Glory, and she reminds us that God uses people many would write off, and that we are called to praise God as an overflow of hearts devoted to Him no matter what our circumstances. Ira Sanke later stated that much of the success of D.L. Moody's evangelistic meetings was due to her songs. She is a reminder to us as God's people of two things: 1. God uses those devoted to Him way beyond their years and abilities. No matter what your hardships, heartaches, or physical struggles, offer yourself fully to God and let Him use you to bless and build others; 2. We are a singing people. I suppose this should be obvious, Fanny ran into opposition from the church, and others for some of her "new ideas", however we now know that many have stood the test of time! May God help us to engage our lives for His glory, no matter what our struggles, and our lips in praise with His people for our blessing! I am thankful for Fanny, and so many others who have blessed us with songs to sing of the greatness of our God and His work in our lives! TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
God has called us to value the dignity of all people from conception to the grave. News south of the border this last week has broken my heart, as one governor argued for what seemed to be infanticide, and racism was back front and centre in focus. A reminder for us as God's people to stand firm in our valuing all humans as made in the image of God, and worth protecting. We should be horrified at racism, and abortion, and the devaluing of children, and it is should drive us to share the story of God's love healing and forgiveness. Remember that we are ambassadors for God, and that He is making His appeal through us...the only hope we have is to attack the ROOT of the problem, and this is done through introducing people to Jesus! May we use all that we are, and all that we have to declare our love for Him, and display His love to those around us! Hate sin, fight against racism, infanticide and abortion, and WAY more importantly display the beauty of the Gospel and call people to an all encompassing relationship with Him that drives and defines us!
Hope you are reading through God's Word this year. There is a value that comes from reading for breadth, and reading for depth, and if you want to be a Word saturated person, my encouragement to you is to spend time in His Word doing both. There is value to reading entire books in one sitting, and meditating on single verses for days in a row...do BOTH! We believe that God's Word is what transforms God's people, through the power of God's Spirit, and it is more than listening to sermons, it is pursuing saturation! Take and READ!
SNOW: The first snow of the year is a reminder to us of what God does for those He forgives, He cleanses and makes us white as snow. Today, REJOICE that you are forgiven, bask in it, and let your guilt and shame be swallowed up in His love. Let this love and purity compel you to live for His glory, and when you see snow, let it not only remind you that you need to get your jacket, let it drive you to the cross.
Sunday Is Coming:
Stephen Bray is in town for a speaking engagement at a conference, and we have talked him into preaching at CBC.
He is a great friend, and a preacher who is loyal to God's Word, loves God's people, and will draw us closer and deeper to God. Encourage you to prayerfully come ready to hear from God's Word and align your life accordingly.
Reflect on Ephesians 1 if you want to prepare your mind and heart for what God has for us.
Thank you for seeking God's glory with me, may you experience His BLESSED ASSURANCE as you walk with Him,
TO GOD BE THE GLORY,
Pastor Rob