Like a Palm Tree

It is not unusual for some people to feel like their days for contributing something worthwhile are weakening. Sometimes they feel spent and done in… even hurt. We know kingdom work requires energy and vigor which diminishes with age. Don’t use excuses to not be involved in Kingdom work.

Feel like you are faltering? Then try joining a discussion group or a bible study. Participate in Sunday School classes and other church activities to the best of one’s ability. These opportunities for fellowship and learning are good ways to be reminded that we live, move and have our being in Jesus Christ (Acts 17:28 ESV), and that alone gives us a reason to worship our Savior.

Facing problems and issues? Pray no matter how brief the prayer may be. Even a single heartfelt word murmured with sincerity is powerful.

Psalm 92:12-14 (ESV) reminds us: The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green…

Pray for and encourage all people within our church communities.

Robert Parlante

October, 2018

Bless This House

There is a plaque hanging on a wall in our kitchen with the following words emblazoned upon its four-foot length: “Bless this house and all who enter.

I recall a person visiting our home who indicated the Lord does not bless inanimate objects like a house. That comment was made years ago, and the plaque is still hanging in our kitchen because Scripture indicates otherwise.

Proverbs 3:33 reminds us: The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.

One might consider a house to be lifeless and an inanimate structure. But when the Lord blesses our dwelling place, as well as the people who live within … and those people place their trust in the Lord, we can look forward to what follows:

1.      We can call upon the Lord for protection from possible events and intrusions that want to harm us. This does not mean we will never experience events that are painful and difficult. And it does not mean the unrighteous will not receive a measure of grace. Scripture reminds us it “rains on the just and the unjust.”

2.     The Lord orders the steps of a person seeking spiritual truth and directs those steps to places, situations, and righteous dwellings that minister to the sojourner.

Placing our trust in Jesus Christ forms the foundation of a righteous dwelling. Welcome all peoples into our homes. Be an encourager. Pray for the Lord’s hand to be upon all who enter our homes, especially loved ones, and pray for any household that may be divided.

Robert Parlante

October 2018