FROM THE PASTOR
July 16, 2017
I was fishing one afternoon this week and something moving in the bottom of the boat caught my eye. After my initial ‘surprise’, I looked closer and noticed that it was an American finch. Somewhere during my time of fishing the bird had landed and now just sat there looking at me.
The amazing part of the experience was it stayed with me for a very long time. In fact, it just sat on my tackle bag all the way to the landing and through most of the time I unloaded the boat. When I finally came to the tackle bag where he was perched, he just stayed there. So, I gently picked the bag up and carried it to the nearest bush. Finally, when I got within about 4 feet of the bush the bird flew into it and that was the last I saw of him.
I’m not sure why the bird chose to land in the boat. It could have been chased there, or was young and tired… I don’t know for sure. All I can say for sure is there was no fear or panic in his mannerisms. He just seemed to know he was safe within the confines of the boat and was perfectly satisfied to just go along for the ride. As I reflected on the incident it clearly reminded me of the Christian’s relationship with our Lord and how we are safely and securely held in His hands.
Jesus promised…
John 6:37-40 (NASB)
37 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
39 "This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
40 "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day."
This means that when we are safely held by our Lord we too should have no fears, concerns or anxiety that overwhelm us. This is especially true concerning our eternal security.
Yes, I know, there are those who scoff at the concept of being unable to ‘lose our salvation’. There are even those who refer to it as ‘a Baptist doctrine’, others have deemed it ‘a lie from hell’, and still others call it ‘a license to sin’. For me… I don’t concern myself with ‘what man says’ because I know what God’s Word assures… “all that He has given me I lose nothing”. Still, God can even use scoffers to remind us of important facts. And living a ‘life-style of sin does raise concerns.
You see, there’s an important verse in that same Word of God we receive our assurance from. One that we should also pay attention to. It’s found in 2 Corinthians 13:5.
2 Corinthians 13:5 (NASB)
5 Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?
Listen, in my experience I’ve discovered that I cannot ‘live daily like the world’ and not have the Holy Spirit show up and stay at my door until I listen to Him. God Word assures us…
Hebrews 12:6 (NASB)
6 FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES."
Hebrews 12:10 (NASB)
10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.
If we can ‘live a life-style’ contrary to God’s Word (no, I am not referring to the occasional sin or brief back-sliding) and not sense the Holy Spirit’s conviction in our lives we need to do exactly as 2 Corinthians 13:5 instructs us… TEST OURSELVES CONCERNING OUR FAITH. Not because we have lost our salvation, but to confirm
that we have truly accepted Christ in the first place. There is safety in the Lord and therefore ‘no condemnation’ for those who are truly His children.
I’m not sure where that little bird came from or what brought him to me, but one thing I am sure of… he came to a place of safety. I didn’t dump him out of the boat… force him to fly away, try to destroy him or use him as bait. I kept him safe until we arrived at a safe place. Just as God does for His own.
Are you secure in the Lord today? Are you safely in His hands? If you don’t know with absolute certainty, let me show you how you can know today.
Thank You for your faithfulness! Pastor Larry
