(by Pastor Jean)

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:19-21; NKJV). Earthly treasures, meaning our worldly goods and possessions do not last forever; they break and deteriorate with age; however, eternal treasures last forever and never wear out. In other words, there is nothing more important than Jesus! We get more understanding of these verses if we read Luke 12:33; NLT, “Sell your possessions and give to those in need. This will store up for you treasure in heaven.” (See also Matt 19:21). When Paul was counselling Timothy, he told him the way to lay up earthly treasures was by giving and doing good works (1 Tim 6:17-19). We read an interesting verse in Matt 13:52 where the word “treasure” appears again, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple of the King of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure new things and old” (NIV). This implies that the kingdom of heaven is our treasure which includes both Old and New Testament truths. In summary, we are not to make money and “stuff” more important than our relationship with God and we certainly shouldn’t put our trust in those things. Instead, we should be looking for opportunities to bless others. Most importantly, we lay up eternal treasures by spending time with God and in His word.

(By pastor Norman)

God Himself said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5; NKJV). What an encouraging promise! However, I am sure that from time to time we can all have a day when things go wrong and we wonder where God is. Let’s remind ourselves of some scripture. In the word we read that God is our Shepherd (Psalm 23), we are His sheep or children (1 John 3:1) and if we seek Him, we will find Him (2 Chron 15:2). “The Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh 1:9; NKJV) and He also said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:20; NKJV). Jesus walked with His disciples on the earth for 3 years and before He ascended to heaven, He told them (and us), “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you” (John 14:18; NKJV). God sent His Holy Spirit (the Spirit of Christ), to live in each of us (Gal 4:6, Rom 8:9-10). If the Lord lives in us nothing and no one can be successful against us and nothing can separate us from His love (Rom 8:31-37). Trials and tribulation may come against but in Christ we are victorious, let’s also remember that God never changes (Heb 13:8, Mal 3:6a, James 1:17). We receive from God by faith (Gal 2:20); study the scriptures above to build up your faith (Rom 10:17) that God is always there for you. Finally, Jesus is preparing a place for us all in heaven (John 14:1-3) where we will spend eternity with Him.

(by Pastor Jean)

I like the Amplified Bible’s rendition of Heb 3:14; “For we (believers) have become partakers of Christ (sharing in all that the Messiah has for us), if only we hold firm our newborn confidence (which originally led us to Him) until the end.” What a marvelous thing to be a “partaker of Christ”! The word “partaker” means someone who shares in or partners with someone else. So, what exactly can we partake of? First and foremost, we can enjoy His love; there are so many verses that tell us how much God loves us (for example John 3:16, Jer 31:3). We can also receive His salvation; which includes forgiveness, healing, deliverance and protection. We share in His grace, the gift of the Holy Spirit, His guidance, wisdom, strength and ability. Not to mention the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23) and the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor 12:8-11). However, did you notice the word “if” in the verse above from Hebrews? We have a part to play if we are to enjoy the wonderful privilege of being a “partaker of Christ.” We have to hold firm our confidence until the end. What does that mean? Another word for “confidence” is conviction or firm trust. I believe it means we are to stay faithful to our beliefs about Christ that we had when we first became Christians and continue in that faith despite the challenges that may come.

(by pastor Norman)

“Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God” (Isa 41:10 NKJV). With God in our lives, we don’t need to fear anyone or anything (Ps 118:6). “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?” (Ps 27:1a; NKJV). God has given us strong, sound, disciplined minds with no fearful spirits (2 Tim 1:7). Fear filled thoughts come from the devil who basically seeks to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). God has delivered from us from all fears (Ps 34:4b). However, fearful thoughts will still try to steal our joy. The apostle Peter exhorts us to be “casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7; NKJV). The apostle Paul gives good advice; he said, don ‘t be anxious, but pray for God’s help to cast off fear; give Him thanks and His peace will overwhelm you (Phil 4:6-7). The Psalmist encourages us to trust God and not to fear (Ps 56:3-4). A man named Jairus asked Jesus to come to his house and pray for his daughter who was close to dying. On the way, someone came and let them know that his daughter was dead. Jesus’ simple response was, “Do not be afraid, only believe” Jesus then raised the child from death (Mark 5:36; NKJV). Fear has to bow to our faith in Jesus. The apostle John tells us that, “Perfect love casts out fear” (John 4:18a) and that if we are struggling with fear, we should check our love levels! As we abide in, make God our refuge and love Him, He becomes our refuge and fortress removing all need for fear (Ps 91:1-16).

(By pastor Jean)

The book of Proverbs has a fair bit to say about joy, “A heart full of joy and gladness makes a cheerful face” (Prov 15:13; AMP) and, “But a glad heart has a continual feast (regardless of the circumstances)” (Prov 15:15; AMP). Then in Prov 17:22 we read that a joyful heart can be like a medicine and bring healing. Nehemiah 8:10 is a much-quoted verse and tells us that God’s joy is strength (the Hebrew word for strength actually means a refuge or place of protection). In the New Testament we read that Jesus expressed joy, “In that very hour He was overjoyed and rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit” (Luke 10:21; AMP); that was when the disciples returned from ministering and told Jesus about the success they had. Paul also encouraged joy; he told the Philippians to, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice” (Phil 4:4; NKJV). In Acts 13:53 we learn that the disciples were, “continually filled with joy” (AMP). (See also Rom 14:17). So, they obviously expressed joy in both the ups and the downs of life. Where do we find this joy? In Psalms we read that it is in God’s presence that we find it (Ps 16:11). Joy is also a fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), so that means that joy will develop in us as we grow and mature and spend time connected to God. Finally, in the words of Habbakuk, “Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines…. yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation” (Habb 3:17,18; NLT).