Monthly Archives: August 2015

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on August 11, 2015
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A Good Foundation — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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August 11, 2015

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16

“Paul is writing to the Corinthian church–a church in conflict. Some are claiming to be followers of Paul, others are claiming to be followers of Apollos, a skilled preacher much admired in the early church. In other words, some are still linked to one former pastor, some are still linked to another. Paul counsels them to grow up. “Who is Paul?” he asks. “Who is Apollos?” Paul plants, Apollos waters, but it is God who gives the growth.

Then Paul compares the church to a building. He himself laid the foundation at Corinth, now another is building on that foundation. The foundation, of course, is Christ, and that is all that matters. Then Paul adds, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s spirit dwells in you? If any one destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him.” In this context, we can see that God’s temple is the church. WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD. What does that say to you?”  Ron Newhouse, “Daily Devotions” (website devotions)

In my neighborhood, we have a house that is having a problem with their foundation. The foundation of a house is what the house stands upon. If the foundation becomes faulty, the house is in danger of shifting, moving, and at the worst collapsing. Water seems to collect around the foundation of this house, which then weakens the soil, and thus weakens the foundation. Now the walls of the foundation are in danger of collapsing in upon themselves — and if they do, the house will collapse.

When we live without Jesus as the foundation of our lives, we live in the danger of our lives collapsing in upon us. There are a lot of forces that are putting pressure on our lives each and every day, and if we do not have Christ as the sure foundation, then when the forces become too great, we run the risk of our lives collapsing in futility. But when Jesus is our sure and present foundation, when we shore up our lives with Christ’s unconditional love, unconditional mercy, and unending Grace, nothing, nothing will be able to shake our foundation. Oh the storms will still rage around us, but the love of Christ is greater than any storm.

Pastor Dave

Unknown's avatar Rev. David J. Schreffler 4:44 am on August 10, 2015
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Jesus is the Light — Rev. David J. Schreffler

 

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August 10 2015

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
Psalm 91:1-8

“The psalmist understood the connection between fear and darkness, but he also knew that God is greater than those fears. He wrote, “You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness” (Ps. 91:5-6). Neither terrors of night nor evil in the darkness need to drive us to fear. We have a God who sent His Son, the Light of the World (John 8:12).”
“Our Daily Bread” devotion for July 6, 2015

Several months ago there was an internet sensation that came in the form of a dress. A woman had posted a picture of a dress she had purchased for an upcoming wedding, and instantly it caused some confusion, if not some intense arguments. Some people, when they looked at the dress, well they see it as white with gold stripes. Others see the dress as blue with black stripes. Why, so many people argued, did we not all see the dress the same? How could this be? In one afternoon, as I read an article about the dress and this interesting phenomenon, one moment I saw the dress as blue and black, and the next, it looked white and gold. The inconsistency suggests that the dress is a new type of perceptual phenomenon previously unknown to scientists.

The answer to this conundrum seems to come in the discovery of a new problem — the brain’s color-processing mechanisms which may vary from one person to the next, and can depend on prior experiences. And after more studies, it was also determined that the dress can look differently in the context of shade versus direct sunlight. In other words, more light changes things.

This is true with the light of Christ. The more light we live in, the more our lives are changed — changed for the better. If we stay away from the light of Christ, then our lives are changed for the worse, not the better. But when we live in the light of Christ, then we can see how things are supposed to be — and then do something about it.

Pastor Dave