Inspired by . . . Five Golden Rings

Inspired by . . . Five Golden Rings

For the last several months, through a global pandemic, riots, racial tensions, lockdowns, and political nonsense our Pastor has been consistently preaching from 1 & 2 Samuel.
From various comments he's made, I can tell that he has been criticized for this approach by many who do not see what relevance these scriptures have to our present-day challenges.

Thankfully, our pastor has carried on, faithfully preaching from the Word, rather than spouting his own opinions, agendas, or five steps to a better life.

Like these rings represented in this fifth day of Christmas snowflake, God is eternal. His message is eternal. Eternally relevant.

Paul reminds us in Romans:

"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope." (Rom 15:4)

Learning, patience, and comfort. Three things we desperately needed in 2020. Three things we will desperately need in 2021. God provides all this and more through His word to us: the scriptures.

Over the last few months we've learned:

1. To wait upon the Lord and trust Him at all times. (1Sam 27-28)
2. Listen to the Right voice. (1Sam 28)
3. Death is not the end. (1 Sam 31 c.f. Rom 5:12)
4. David's story is central to HIStory (and world history) because it points to the coming of Christ: the answer to all the world's problems. (2Sam 1; Heb 12:22; Eph 1; Acts 19; Gal 3)
5. Knowing it is the will of God does not transmute grief into joy. It is still grief. (2Sam 1)
6. "Who am I?" This is the central question of our time. The Bible answers: We are made by God, for God. (2 Sam1)
7. The Bible gives us the answers we need but not always the answers we might like.
8. Through the teachings of the Bible, we can encounter the Living God. (2Sam 2)
9. Our victory is found in our King (Jesus), not in ourselves. (2Sam 5)
10. The rulers of the earth will always seek to destroy the Lord's anointed. (2Sam 5)

Not an exhaustive list by any means. I pulled these ten from the notes I took while sitting in front of my TV watching our pastor speak to a (mostly) empty sanctuary.

He did break away from David's story one Sunday to talk about "Ten Men In Quarantine" referring, as you may have guessed, to the ten lepers in Luke 17.

Ten were healed, but only one turned back, throwing himself at the feet of Jesus in praise and worship.

His spiritual eyes being opened, he saw something in Jesus that the other nine did not.

Who Jesus IS and why He has come.

Perhaps those who see the scriptures as no longer relevant require the same spiritual awakening.

Blessings,