Good morning. Thank you for all the kind words I really appreciate them. Today I read from Psalm 59, Jer. 40 and Rev. 8. David speaks of God’s unfailing love when his Father-in-law, Saul, had spies ready to arrest him at his home. Here David speaks of God’s love. “I will sing of your love for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” Jeremiah is freed by the Babylonians after the fall of Jerusalem and joins the new governor at Mizpah. A brief reprieve from trouble. Revelation 8 announces the beginning of the trumpet judgments which bear no resemblance to our current condition. We might be in “terrible times” as stated in 2 Timothy 3:1 but we are certainly not in the tribulation. My son cannot return to work until tested for the virus so by God’s Grace he can get that soon. However, I hear that some young people who are showing symptoms can’t get tested. The limitations of man are more starkly evident everyday. But the Lord is our refuge in times of trouble. God bless you all.
March 20th, 2020
Good morning. The wave has started to rise in Wisconsin. All we can do humanly is wait. The notation in Psalm 58 is that the Psalm was sung to the tune of “Do not destroy”. Perhaps in heaven we will learn that tune. Ironically this Psalm speaks of the destruction of the wicked with the last phrase “surely there is a God who judges the earth.” Jeremiah 39 gives an anticlimactic account of the fall of Jerusalem and the fulfillment of all of Jeremiah’s prophecies in real time. Revelation 7 speaks of the 144,000 Jewish missionaries and the promise that “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” We either seek God in these times or pull away. Let us cling to the throne of the lamb and trust in Him. God bless you all. Pastor Mike.
March 19th, 2020
Good morning all. I am posting later today because I have not been sleeping well praying and mostly worrying (yes, I fail in that area as well). Someone asked me if we are in the last days. In my devotions in which I read three chapters a day, one in OT, one from wisdom books in OT and one in NT I started posting from where I was when this pandemic hit us. In Revelation 6 it speaks of the four horseman of the apocalypse. We are not in that time. However, we are witnessing the locust plague in Africa and Asia. The COVID-19 we are seeing right in front of us. The persecution of Christians in some areas is intense. This illustrates how fragile our complex society can be. Instead let’s pray for those close to us and be aware that God’s promise to all who claim Jesus as Savior is “I will never leave you or forsake you.”God bless you and call a loved one and TALK to them on the phone today, you will both feel better.
March 18th, 2020
Today I read from Psalm 57; Jeremiah 38; and Revelation 5. Verse 1 of Psalm 57 reads “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.” Faith Bible like all other churches has suspended church services. We all wait for this modern disaster to pass. We will live stream Sunday’s message on Facebook at our normal service time of 9:00 am. Our website fbcrio.org will have a recording of the message to listen to at your convenience. In Jeremiah the prophet tells the king how to survive the disaster to come. The king does not listen. But in Revelation John is brought before the throne and hears “WORTHY IS THE LAMB THAT WAS SLAIN”. We can endure the coming hardship by taking refuge in the Lamb of God. God bless you all.