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January 2009

 
 

pastor's page

January 2009

January 4, 2009

2008 is a year behind us now, and we`ve placed it, carefully or not, in the box of our memories. In this box we keep the memories of the past, some painful, and others so beautiful... Among them we keep the experiences we shared with our dear ones, our family, our friends, our dear ones, but in a very special place we keep in our memory our experiences with God, with His mercy and kindnss. The Lord has been good to us in 2008. He was present in our lives, helped us, delivered us, and saved us. Praise the Lord, praised be His Name!

God knew tha man would forget these witnesses of His kindness in the past, and for this reason He commanded the people to use methods of rememberance. Among them we find the method of using stones of rememberance, which meant to pile up a number of stones in rememberance of a certain experience with God (Joshua 4:5-7). Because the angel hit Jacob`s hip, he walked limping for the rest of his life, and this handicap became a sign of rememberance for him (Gen. 32:24-32). The scars of the past, certain things in our lives, our homes are kept as signs of rememberance for the rest of our lives.

These stones of rememberance become the personal memory album and these memories should be kept in high esteem in the box of our memory. The shape our experiences with God, remaining a proof of our Master`s faithfulness and sometimes a record of out unfaithfulness. They are expremely important for us because they give value to our past, joy to our present and hope to our future. The strangers, the future generations, our children do not know the meaning of these stones of rememberance, so we have to teach them about their origin and signification.

1. These stones of rememberance are a monument of memory. They remind us about our freedom from under the curse of sin, about entering under divine blessing by faith and repentance, about the vitories we received in the Name of Jesus, but also about the mercy and kindness He renews daily for us and our homes. Psalm 107 states it four times: "Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men!"

2. These stones of rememberance are a method of spiritual education.

a. God`s protection in the past: "The Lord passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He hit Egypt , and He spared out homes."

b. The disobedience of evil men in the past: "Let it be remembered that I will wipe the memory of Amalec under the skies".

c. God`s warning in the past: "When the rooster sings three times today, you will have betrayed Me three times already, saying that you do not know Me."

All these past experiences, ours or other`s, become divine methods of education for those of us who live in the present.

3. These stones o rememberance are a message of repentance and service. "...God's kindness leads you toward repentance?" (Rom. 2:4). There is a false repentance, on the surface only - it does not change the heart, the life, it only creates pharisees. But there is also a divine repentance - it regenerates, brings love, forgiveness, kindness, it changes lives, it creates saints. Rememberance motivates not only to repentance, but also to servanthood. ăsură la pocăinţă şi la slujire: "The God of heaven will give us victory. We, His servants, shall get up and shall build..." (Ezra 2:20). Someone once said: "When you do a good deed, write it on sand, so you can forget it; when someone does good to you, write it on stone, so you never forget it".

2008 has been more than we deserved, it has been what it should have been, it was a blessing. 2008 remains a pillar of memory for the honor of our great King and for the honor of His kindness. 2008 remains a method of education - we can learn from our own mistakes and from others` mistakes. 2008 remains a message that motivates us to repentance and servitude. This is how we have to look back at 2008 - from a spiritual perspective and for the glory of the One who deserves all glory, honor, and adoration.