August 20, 2023

The Shepherd's Corner

We are bracing for Hillary, tropical storms Hillary, that is. The first tropical storm in 84 years will pass through California, so I heard. The good news is that this storm that began as a hurricane in the South is supposed to have weakened by the time it reaches Los Angeles. Last week fire destroyed much of Lahaina, Maui, killing
nearly 100. It’s dubbed as the worst fire in history, and the first.

Lately we have witnessed a lot of the “firsts” and we cannot help but wonder what is going on. Well, we may not know what is behind all these “firsts”, but we know that the Bible (Matthew 24) has warned us that before the coming of Jesus Our Lord, there will be “famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.”

In fact, Jesus Himself tells us, “Heaven and earth will pass away but My Words will by no means pass away” which means there’ll be lots of unusual phenomena that will, not only mess up, but cause major havoc to “heaven and earth.” But He assures us that His words will not pass away. The Word of God will stand and will not be shaken, so hold on to His Word. Do not hold on to what can be swept away; instead, hold on to Him, who is eternal and immovable.

Life is full of storms. Some storms can be known ahead of time so we can prepare for the worst. But sometimes we do not know, so we cannot prepare; we just have to sail through the storm. And that will be the time in which we let go of control and let God take over. He won’t let go and will hold us firmly till the storm passes by.

Lately, I have been made aware of God’s amazing love. He, who is the creator of the heavens and earth, watches over me, and cares for me. He, who has the power of billions of galaxies, loves me, a tiny dot in His vast landscape. I am safe, we are safe, in His arms.

Pastor Paul

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