"In all their affliction he was afflicted"

         If you’ve ever watched someone you love suffer, you know what pain it is in your own heart. Especially when God gives you particularly deep love for the person suffering--your child or grandchild or for your husband or wife. We call this "vicarious suffering" and it is very real and brings "inward pain." But did you ever stop to think that He who created human emotions also has emotions and feels sorrow and grief and compassion for His children. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust." 

          Tucked away in a brief paragraph towards the end of the book of Isaiah is an amazing statement about how God suffers with His people.   Here’s that verse in Isaiah 63:9 "In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old." We don’t go through these afflictions alone and God is not just a "disinterested observer." He shares in our sufferings and we are to share in His. Isn’t that what the apostle called "the fellowship of His sufferings"? 

 2 Cor. 1:3 He brings comfort to our souls in the midst of sorrow with a peace that passes understanding. "Surely, He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows." Isaiah 53:4 That’s why we can "Cast [our] burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee." Psalm 55:22

        The context is God’s compassion and mercy to His people: "I will mention the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord, according to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us, and the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them according to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For He said, ‘Surely they are my people, children that will not lie: so he was their Saviour.’ In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old."

        "The angel of His presence" that "saved them" stood between the advancing Egyptian army and the children of Israel to protect His people and to prevent the army from attacking them. The story is in Exodus 14:19-20 "And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them. And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night."

        The marvelous truth for us to hold in our hearts always is that God bears our burdens and carries our sorrows and feels the grief and sorrow that we feel. He participates in our lives with us and He is able to enable us by His grace to go through the trials He sends our way. He is there and He is not unfeeling. He is "the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort." 

         That same God of compassion became "one of us", born of the Virgin Mary. He experienced the privations of life: hunger and thirst, tiredness and rejection by those He came to save. Physical violence against Him. Surely He understands experientially as well as omnisciently what it means to suffer! "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:15-16                                                                                                    –Pastor Burnside
　

Growing old with the love of your youth

                                 Growing old with the love of your youth
        I feel sorry for people who are married and don’t love each other! Sometimes I see people acting rude to their own husband or wife or treating them unkindly or even with arrogance! Life is too short for pettiness and unkindness. Few people are so privileged as my wife and I to have had 54 good years together and part of the goodness is being able to go through the hard times together, helping each other, sharing with one another. 

        Today I came across an e-mail that my wife wrote to one of our granddaughters the day before our 53^rd anniversary.  "Tomorrow will be our 53rd anniversary. How wonderful to grow old with the love of your youth--and I love him more today than then. It just gets better and better. . . ." (Mimi to Julie, Sept.25, 2008) I remember being so touched by her words when I first read them and I kissed her and told her so. And she smiled.

        But when I read those words again today, I thought that I am glad that our granddaughters also love their husbands and want to please them. And scripture tells us that it is a very natural, God-given part of life for a husband to want to please his wife and a wife wants to please her husband. That’s as God intended. 1 Cor. 7:33-34

         I smile when I remember the many times I heard my wife tell one of our students at Christ’s College in Taipei in answer to her question, "Why do you and your husband have such a good marriage?" She would tell them of the Lord, of course, because it is He who we pattern our lives after, but she also always said, "It’s very simple. I take good care of him and he takes good care of me!" "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." Eph. 4:32
                                                                                             Love,                    
                                                                         Pastor Burnside & Minnie

Rejoice!

Rejoice!        We know this one very well and we know how important it is because "the joy of the Lord is your strength." Neh. 8:10
        1) Be joyful regardless of the problems you’re facing.
        2) Joy is not so much a feeling as the deep, settled confidence that God is in control of everything and that His promises are overwhelmingly wonderful–and we look to the glorious future in heaven with the Lord.
        3) Gramatically, this is present imperative–continually rejoice–as a way of life.
        4) Where does the joy come from? Rejoice in the Lord; it’s His joy and He gives it to us. John 15:11 "These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full."
        5) "my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation." Psalm 13:5
        6) Rejoice in God’s promises and in His provisions.

2. Learn to be gracious. 4:5a "Let your gentle spirit be known to all men."
Epieikes (gentle spirit) has a much richer, deeper meaning than any single English word can convey. Here’s how commentators and Bible translaters have translated and explained that word: "Sweet reasonableness, generosity, goodwill, friendliness, magnanimity, charity toward the faults of others, leniency, moderation, forbearance." The English word gracious helps capture the meaning.
        An example of its use: when Abraham avoided strife with his nephew Lot. The story is in Genesis chapter 13.

3. Rest confidently on the Lord and be anxious for nothing. "The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing."
The Lord’s nearness is the sense of His Presence. He is near to hear your cry and to help and strengthen you. " In the day when I cried you answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul. Psalm 138:3
Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass." Psalm 37:7
Habakkuk shows us the right attitude in desperate times: "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like deer’s feet, and he will make me to walk upon high places. To the chief singer on my stringed instruments." Habakkuk 3:17-19
The message from the birds and the flowers of the field is God’s providential care.

4. Reacting to problems with Thankful prayer "
1) 1 Cor. 10:13–God limits the problems.
2) Rom. 8:28–God brings all things together for good in the long run.
3) 1 Peter 5:7–Cast all your care on Him–because He cares about you.5. Result 4:7
–inner tranquility of the soul–confident trust in God’s wisdom and care
–guard is a military term used of soldiers on guard duty6. Guarding your thought life

7.
"The unfathomable peace of the God who controls the universe and pursues a faultless purpose. . This divine peace kept Paul’s mind and heart. A great river of peace was thrown like a moat around the citadel of his soul." John Phillips, p. 63
Our always-example, of course is Jesus and stop to think how the peace of God kept Him throughout His entire sojourn on earth.
"It was Christ Jesus who brought the peace of God down to earth. Heralding His birth across the Judean hills, the heavenly host sang, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Luke 2:14 That imperturbable peace hushed the storm-tossed sea of Galilee and gave rest to the tormented soul of the Gadarene demoniac. That peace remained unshaken by conflict, criticism, crisis, and cross."At all times, in all places, under all circumstances, Christ reposed in His Father’s good and acceptable and perfect will. Rom. 12:2. And when Jesus appeared in the upper room on resurrection evening, His greeting to the disciples was Shalom! Peace!"
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Jesus was peacefully "Asleep on a pillow" in the midst of a storm Mark 4:35. "Peace, be still!" He spoke to the storm, but we, too, can have the same confidence in God’s faithfulness."peace of God" –"What could disturb God’s peace? "Nothing can ruffle the peace of God. It is a calm beyond all storms, a rest beyond all strife, a haven beyond all tempestuous seas. The peace of God is majestic and sublime." –important. in avoiding anxiety & worry. Guard, don’t allow yourself to worry or be anxious: Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep [guard] your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Be anxious for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." 4:6 4:5b-6a

1. "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!"
        Watch the progression of thought in this familiar passage, Philippians 4:4-7 NKJV  v.4. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!