Pastor’s Blog

46 of 676 items

Rest in the Lord – Psalm 37:7

by Jim Jamison

This week Ohio had their primary election. I was reminded that many people look for the answers to the problems of our society to come from our government. While governments are raised up and brought low by our Lord, I was reminded that no government, no matter how focused on the Word of God, can implement the change that is needed to our society. We can make all the laws we want, but people will still find ways to break them, because that is the way of the heart of man. So what do we do? We need to pray for our nation to return to its foundations established years ago, but the reality the only true solution to the issues we face is the return of Jesus Christ! The Bible reminds repeatedly, that one day the Lord will return, and He will establish His Kingdom here on earth. Some will disagree with the teaching of the Bible, but the Truth of God’s Word will bear out. All we have to do is look at the realty of the continued presence of the Jewish people to live in the hope of His return. God will fulfill His promises, because they … READ MORE

Focusing on the Future – Jeremiah 31:16-17; 31-33

by Jim Jamison

God never gives evil the last word! Jeremiah 31 points to the future hope of the return of God’s people after the Babylonian captivity. Bitter tears encourage us to long for the days when God will make all things right. As Jeremiah 31 comes to a close, God makes one of the most important promises in the entire Bible regarding the New Covenant, “Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “When I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them” declares the LORD. “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the LORD, “I will put my law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” Thios helps us understand the value and purpose of the bitter tears. They motivate us to acknowledge the brokenness of our sin-cursed … READ MORE

The Place of Bitter Tears – Psalm 6:6-7

by Jim Jamison

I grew up watching John Wayne movies, where the ultimate man would not allow an injury to keep him from accomplishing his task. Yet what is a person to do when we feel hurt, disappointed, wounded, or broken? I have come to understand that the surprising answer in the Bible comes from the significant number of times the word “bitter” is used to describe our tears. In tandem with learning the art of biblical lament our Lord invites us to discover the place of bitter tears. David was a warrior of warriors, yet he is often seen in the psalms as a man of tears, and who shares his pain to the Lord. This is not to say that tears are the key to overcoming sinful expressions of bitterness. We must understand that we each process our emotions differently, and the last thing we want to do is advocate legalistic expectations. We read these words in Psalm 6:6-7 concerning David, “I am worn out with my groaning; All night long I flood my bed with weeping, I drench my couch with tears. My eyes grow weak with sorrow; They fail because of my foes”. (NIV). Understand that Bitter tears can … READ MORE