Pastor Harry’s Thoughts for May

Hello Bath Christian Family and Friends! 

Well, April showers have definitely proven to bring May flowers! And there are none more radiant and beautiful than they are right here at home in Bath NC! What a blessing it is to be placed here for such a time as this. I want you to think just for a minute, out of all the places in the world we could have been born, the places that our life choices could have landed us, we arrived in one of the most beautiful places on earth, Bath, NC!  But did we really just happen to land here, or was there something much bigger, at work, a divine hand perhaps; guiding our way, giving us direction and a purpose for something much bigger than what we are able to see? The apostle Paul says in Acts 17: 26, “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.” 

God never does anything without a divine purpose. He never calls, he never places us, he never makes a decision without his very best intentions for our lives. God just doesn’t do random. Ecclesiastes 3:11 reminds us that “God has made everything beautiful in his time”. This one scripture tells us that not only has God created the beauty we now enjoy but he reminds us that he does that and more in his time and not ours.  But isn’t that the real struggle for us as Christians, understanding, and then accepting, God accomplishes what he does according to his will, his time, and in his perfect love for us?  When we can come to the realization that God doesn’t roll the dice; God doesn’t allow pain, joy, sorrow or happiness because he is bored somewhere up there in the Cosmos and has forgotten his creation, but that he is trying to use all the parts of our life for his glory. It is then and only  then, that we can come to see the true beauty of this life he has given us. Just like the flowers that we now enjoy here in Bath at this particular time of year, God too, wants us to enjoy the  beautiful things he is trying to accomplish in our lives as well. So, as we continue to move forward in 2024, I’d like you to ponder this question: Are you allowing God to fully order your life, and in his time? Do you find yourself frustrated at life, with God, on the job, with family and friends because you aren’t seeing the results of your own efforts to restore, bring together, advance, or recreate beauty in these modes of life? Maybe things aren’t happening quite the way you would order if you were the one really in control. If so, take comfort today in what Isaiah admonishes us in Isaiah 14:24 when he says, “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand.” God has purposed something great for your life already. This isn’t something that will happen, this is something that has already happened, you just have to trust and accept his plan and not fight against it by living out your will and not his. How has it already happened? Because with God there is no past, present or future. Time was made by God, not for God. We are the recipients of time! And so, if God has already declared beauty and purpose over your life, then it is a done deal. All he expects from you is complete trust and total dependence on him. So, if you find yourself in a season of waiting, then wait for beauty to come with expectation! Remember, Roman’s 8:28, “all things work together for them that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose!!” 

Grace and Peace to you all! 

Pastor Harrry