The Pastor’s Perspective …

Pastor Garth Dockstader

We have an amazing God. And, if we submit ourselves to Him and repent of our sins we will find that He will extend His mercy and grace to us. With Him there is always a way. No mater what is going on in our life, he will be with us as we struggle with our mistakes and the problems brought to us by others.

Psalm 51:1-17
1 For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my .
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. 5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
9 Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.
14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
15 O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.
16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

If you truly believe and trust in Jesus Christ, then your walk with Him must begin here. Begin where? BEGIN WITH REPENTANCE. Once we repent and submit ourselves to his loving care we will be healed and set right before Him. There is no place to hide, no place we can go that will allow us to escape from the Lord. Look at the story of Jonah who did not want to do what God commanded him to do.

Jonah 1:
1 The word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai:
2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me."
3 But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD.
4 Then the LORD sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up.
10 This terrified them and they asked, "What have you done?" (They knew he was running away from the LORD, because he had already told them so.)
15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.
17 But the LORD provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah 2:
7 "When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.
8 "Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs.
9 But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the LORD."
10 And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Jonah 3:
1 Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
2 "Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you."
3 Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh.

Oh, dear people, REPENT. Come before your God and know He is just and will forgive you of your sins. Set your heart for Him. Forsake all other gods and evil in your life and allow your Lord Jesus to heal you from your transgressions.

Pastor Garth