The Rock Church

God’s Doing

I’ve been reading a book called “A Body of Divinity.” It was written in 1692 by a Puritan named Thomas Watson (I love the Puritans). 

The chapter on the covenant of grace explains how much better it is to have that covenant than the previous covenant of works. He said something that I had to re-read a few times. Then I had to stop and think about it for a little while. I oftentimes have to do that because his excellent illustrations of truth and significant points about God’s Word challenge me. This particular point encouraged me so much that I wanted to share it with you.

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Seasons

I certainly love the different seasons of the year in Utah. This year, we had record-breaking heat, and it seemed like the hot summer would never relent. Now we anticipate the fall leading into winter. They say, “A hot summer leads to a cold winter!” I like and dislike many things in every season. As a young man (with a bit of wanderlust), I tried to escape the cold winter by living in Arizona, California, and Florida. Those are all fine places, but I yearned for a more dramatic change of seasons, similar to my Midwest upbringing.

We moved our family to Utah in the spring of 1999. It wasn’t for the remarkable topography and weather; we wanted our lives to bear fruit. In retrospect, it was a sweet season for our young family of five. I honestly believe it was a pretty simple plan. We raised our faith-filled sails, and God (the Holy Spirit) billowed us along.

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A Work in Progress

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.” — Philippians 1:6

Right now, there are no doors in the upstairs of my home. As a matter of fact, there is also no furniture, functioning bathroom, pantry, bedroom, or living room. We are walking on “ram board” floors, and wiping drywall dust off our clothes every few minutes. None of this is surprising since we’re blessed to be smack dab in the middle of some home renovations.

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Soccer Cleats

“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith…” — Romans 12:4-6

These verses explain how the Church is made of different parts (people); they fulfill unique functions, like a human body. We do not have the same roles, but collectively, God uses us to do incredible things. I recently witnessed a powerful example of this.

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Smooth Stones

In a recent message, I shared an illustration that has made an unmistakable impact on my life. I found this story in the devotional by L.B. Cowman, “Streams In The Desert” (July 7 entry):

“There is a very famous “Pebble Beach” at Pescadero, on the California coast. The long line of white surf comes up with its everlasting roar, and rattles and thunders among the stones on the shore. They are caught in the arms of the pitiless waves, and tossed and rolled, and rubbed together, and ground against the sharp-grained cliffs. Day and night forever the ceaseless attrition goes on–never any rest. And the result?

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Watermelon and Lawnmowers

My next-door neighbor (Mr.Grant) is an 89-year-old firecracker. He loves Jesus and has endless opinions (as you can imagine an 89-year-old man would have). Recently, his wife of 70 years passed away. I can’t imagine his grief.

Our family prays for him and loves him dearly; we offer to help him in any way we can. Unfortunately for us, he is one of them old boys who “doesn’t need any help from no one.” So, it can be difficult. Recently, however, I saw my children serve him in some beautiful ways.

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Hurting

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour.” — John 12:27

These were Jesus’ words before He was betrayed and crucified. If anyone knows about suffering, it’s Jesus. His suffering was foretold in the book of Genesis. In fact, the prophet Isaiah even called Him the “Man of Sorrows”.

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For Such a Time as This

Every once in a while, I find myself in just the right place at just the right time. When I do, this verse comes to my mind,

“Who knows if perhaps you were created for such a time as this.“ — Esther 4:14b

I learned this verse from the Old Testament — in the story of Esther and her Uncle Mordecai. I encourage you to read the book of Esther. It’s a treasure of truth, highlighting God’s sovereignty and ability to turn the tables for His glory. Undeniably, God has good plans for us to walk in.

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Faith Test

“These patriarchs were jealous of their brother Joseph, and they sold him to be a slave in Egypt. But God was with him and rescued him from all his troubles. And God gave him favor before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God also gave Joseph unusual wisdom, so that Pharaoh appointed him governor over all of Egypt and put him in charge of the palace.” — Acts 7:9-10

Bad news seems to be everywhere. Without a doubt, it’s hard to have faith when things look bad. There’s tremendous turmoil in the world around us, complicated health troubles, and incredibly hard days.

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Not All Have Faith

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.” — 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2

I have really appreciated studying 1 & 2 Thessalonians this summer. As he concluded his second letter, Paul asked the Thessalonians (and us) to pray for some specific things.

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