Welcome to our service today. It is great to have you here and we would love to invite you to stay after the service and join us for morning tea.

For the original hearers, the historical psalms (eg. 68,78, 95 and more) were vivid reminders of God's past acts on behalf of Israel. These history songs were written for passing on important lessons to succeeding generations. They celebrated the many promises God had made and faithfully kept, however they also recounted the faithlessness of the people. 

We cannot read this ancient history without reflecting on how consistently God's people failed to learn from the past. They repeatedly turned from fresh examples of God's faithfulness and forgiveness only to plunge back into sin. God can use these psalms to remind us how often we do exactly the same thing -  having every reason to live for God we choose instead to live for everything but God. So let us come daily before God to confess our sin and ask Him to purify our heart so we may live faithful and righteous lives. 

Blessings,

Sandra

Welcome to our service today. It is great to have you here and we would love to invite you to stay after the service and join us for morning tea.

Too often we let our circumstances determine our attitude. If life is going smoothly, then we feel good. But when it gets hard, our mood drops. However we don’t have to live this way. Like the apostle Paul, we can learn and practice contentment.

The word ‘contentment’ describes being at peace, no matter how things are - in other words, not wanting anything to be different. It means learning to allow God’s power to come into our weakness so we can accept and adapt to changing circumstances. When we respond to life with that kind of thinking, we move beyond living by feelings to living by faith.

In order to live by faith we must surrender to God. In every situation, we are to yield what we want and then accept whatever He allows. The second step is to trust God to oversee our specific situation. If we believe He is working out His perfect plan for us, then we’ll experience the joy that comes from fully relying on Him. Contentment will be ours. Paul said that he learned to be content in all circumstances. May this be what we learn also.

Blessings, Sandra

Welcome to our service today. It is great to have you here and we would love to invite you to stay after the service and join us for morning tea.

How do we respond to people when they attack us for our faith, curse us or even threaten us? I heard a phrase this week which might be helpful - 'let God take the heat!'. 

It's a principle that's based on the recognition that God is our King and we are His children. He is in charge and we are His followers. As we live our lives, we abide by His commands and proclaim His message.....no matter the cost. If people get upset with what we're saying then the best thing we can do is point them to God. We can show them we are simply following His commands or saying and doing what He says is true. Therefore we don't wear the blame - we're simply the messengers and can let God 'take the heat.' This doesn't mean we can deliver the message in a harsh, offensive or condescending way - we still need to speak the truth in love even if the response we get back is not made in love. So as we go, let us stay humble by keeping a proper perspective of who is really the author of the truth we're communicating. 

Blessings, Sandra

Welcome to our service today. It is great to have you here and we would love to invite you to stay after the service and join us for morning tea.

Evil and injustice seem to have the upper hand in the world. Christians can often feel angry and discouraged as they see what goes on around us. In the book of Habakkuk we see that he complained vigorously to God about the situation. God's answer to him is the same answer He would give us if we were complaining, "Be patient! I will work out my plans in my perfect timing." 

It isn't always easy to be patient, but it helps to remember that God hates sin even more than we do. Punishment of sin will certainly come. As God told Habakkuk, "Wait for it." To trust God fully means to trust Him even when we don't understand why events occur as they do. But time and time again we read in the Bible of God's faithfulness and perfect timing. Our God has given us promises we can stand on and we can trust, knowing that one day, if we have repented of our sin and put our trust in Him we will live with Him forever in a place where evil is no more. 

Blessings,

Sandra