Fear

Boxed In

pjimgallagherLeave a comment

Exodus 14:13
“And Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today…’”

IMG_1409There can be little question that the children of Israel were following the leading of the Lord. They had a miraculous door open; freeing them from slavery. They began to march, carrying gifts from Egypt, and being led by a pillar fire and a cloud. What was hard for them to understand was, the Lord had led them into a very difficult place. With Baal Zephon on one side, Migdol on the other, and the Red Sea before them, Israel was boxed in, with no where to turn. As the Egyptian army approached, the Israelites were the proverbial sitting ducks. With fear gripping their hearts, they cried out to Moses, declaring life was better in slavery than in the wilderness. It was with this backdrop, Moses gave one of the most beautiful promises of God.

“Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today…”

No matter how bleak the situation, Moses promised that God would deliver His people to safety. He promised it will be done in a uniquely divine way. Although no one in Israel or Egypt could imagine what would happen next, God had a plan to rescue His people. The plan would create a situation allowing God the latitude to do something amazing.

It seems to me, we do all we can to ensure we never find ourselves boxed in, with no way out. We save, plan, and even manipulate, to guarantee we will not have to rely upon the Lord. I think it is vital we keep in mind, that God wants to bring us to places where we have to rely upon Him, so He can do great things in our lives.

Whatever your circumstances, be sure you are allowing God the latitude to work in your life. If you are facing obstacles that are too big for you to handle, then seek the Lord to move them. If you are facing challenges that are too big for you to accomplish, then ask the Lord to transform you. After all, He is the God who turned a shepherd boy into a giant killer.

Pastor Jim

 

Flavor Enhancers

pjimgallagher1 Comment

Exodus 6:9
“So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.”

IMG_1388Over the centuries, one of the most lucrative businesses was the spice trade. There were times when certain spices were worth their weight in gold. Names like Magellan, Columbus and Sir Francis Drake, are just of few of the names associated with those who would journey the world, in search of new found flavors. At one time, salt was so valuable the phrase “he’s not worth his weight in salt”, was a common way to express the value of an individual. The word “salary” is actually derived from the Latin word for salt.

As valuable as spices may have become, they were always intended to be flavor enhancers, and never to be the main course. Emotions are much like that. God designed us with the ability to experience great emotion, but these feelings were designed to enhance life, not to rule life. The children of Israel found themselves doubting the promises of God, and refusing to walk in the ways of God, because of the anguish they were experiencing. The difficulties they were experiencing, and the pain they had to endure, were driving their decisions and making it difficult for them to follow God.

This is a common phenomenon. We often allow emotions to drive, when they were designed to simply flavor the way. Over the years, I have had many opportunities to travel and teach pastors, missionaries and Bible students. In almost every case, my journeys have been filled with a variety of emotions, not the least of which have been fear and trepidation. I love my family, my church, and my home, and really have little desire to ever be apart from them. When the time arrives for me to board another plane, I almost always wish I wasn’t doing it, but I move forward because emotions are never the best way to make decisions.

If we want to effectively follow and serve the Lord, we must understand that the emotions we face, no matter how severe, are emotions, and the real driving force behind our lives must be a determination to do the will of God, at all cost. Regardless of what your emotions are telling you to do, regarding your marriage, family, occupation, or fellowship, take time to look at the Word of God, and allow it to light your path and drive your decisions.

Pastor Jim

 

The Fear Of The Lord

pjimgallagher1 Comment

Matthew 26:5
“But they said, ‘Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.’”

2015/01/img_1380.jpgMatthew 26 and 27 record the final events in the life of Jesus. The hostility toward Him has reached a climax, and His opponents are seeking to kill Him. Theirs is the most heinous of sins, the murder of the Son of God! But the text reveals that their sin was motivated by what commonly drives you and I to sin; the fear of man. The fear of man might simply be defined as being more concerned with what man thinks, than what God thinks. On the other hand, the fear of God is being more concerned with what God thinks, than what man thinks. Solomon wrote

“The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe” Proverbs 29:25

The hunter sets the trap for the wild animal, disguises it as best he can, making it look like something it is not, but his real goal is to catch, kill and eat the animal. The fear of man is a lot like that. So subtly, we set aside what is well-pleasing to the Lord, in order to be pleasing to others. The opponents of Jesus did not want to lose favor with the people because of the position they had and the comforts that went along with it. It was their social status and the fear of losing it, which led them to commit this great sin. John tells us, this is one of the great dangers for all Christians. He said, “All that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). The pride of life speaks of position, status, wanting to fit in, or fearing we might no longer be accepted in our peer group. We call that “peer pressure,” and warn our children of the destruction it brings. However, even adults fall prey to the pressure of the fear of man. Solomon not only warns of the fear of man, he also speaks of the antidote.

“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride and arrogance and the evil way and the perverse mouth I hate.” Proverbs 8:13

Wanting to live well-pleasing to the Lord will produce in us a hate for the things that are displeasing. Had the religious leader’s foremost concern been pleasing God, they would have never committed such a horrible act, as crucifying the Son of God. The same will always be true of us. Today, if we will allow the fear of God to influence all we do, we will find, at the end of the day, we have lived lives well-pleasing to Him.

Pastor Jim

 

Why Do You Doubt?

pjimgallagher1 Comment

Matthew 14:31
“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

2015/01/img_1330.jpgAs Peter’s eyes left Jesus and began to focus on his surroundings, his great faith failed and he began to sink. In desperation he cried out, “Lord, save me” to which Jesus replied, first with a stretched out hand, then with gentle rebuke.

“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

If I were in Peter’s place I might have responded, “I am doubting because what I thought was a good idea, in a moment of great courage, I am now thinking was not such a great idea.” I am doubting, because the wind is boisterous and the waves are large. I am doubting, because of the law of gravity, and I do not swim that well. I am doubting, because it is night, dark, and I do not want to drown. I am doubting, because what I asked to do is humanly impossible, and I am now suffering the consequences of that decision. In other words, Peter had many reasons to doubt; however, he had many more reasons to trust.

Just before his doubt, he had witnessed Jesus walking on water; a humanly impossible task. We might argue, Jesus was more than human, and defies the laws of the universe that control us. However, just before this event,we read that Jesus looked to the disciples to feed a great multitude. “They do not need to go away, you give them something to eat” (Matthew 14:16). When they responded that all they had was five loaves and two fish, He said “bring them here to Me.” Jesus was teaching them a vital principle for Christian living: what is impossible for man, is possible for God. The same God who can multiply fish and bread, can keep you afloat in the midst of the storm.

Rather than focusing on the problem, which leads to doubt, fear, and despair, let’s focus on the Savior, who not only walks on water, but is able to help us do the impossible.

Pastor Jim

 

The Coming One

pjimgallagher1 Comment

Matthew 11:3
“Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”

2015/01/img_1319.jpgThe circumstances of life often cause us to question God. It is hard sometimes to reconcile what we are going through with who God is; compassionate and good. This happened to John the Baptist. From the words of Jesus, we know John was the greatest man to have ever lived. He was a man that preached the gospel to thousands, the man who pointed the way to Christ, and the man who baptized Christ, Himself. Yet, in our text, we read he was also the man who doubted. Laying in a prison cell, the cold, the dampness, the suffering, all seemed to squeeze his faith and cloud his vision of Christ.

The response of Jesus, to John’s question of doubt, gives us great insight into the solution when we are facing the same dilemma as John.

Matthew 11:4-5 “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: the blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them.’”

In other words, Jesus answers John’s doubt by reminding him of who Jesus is and what He does. I think the solution in times of difficulty and doubt is to go to the Word and be reminded of all that Jesus is.

Pastor Jim