Pastor Stephen Dedman

Latest Posts

Will You Rest Today?

Encouragement, Trust

“Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.”
Luke 23:56

One of the most forgotten of the Ten Commandments is the command to “rest.” As Jesus’ body laid in the tomb, it’s a great reminder that we are to rest just as God did. After God incarnate declared, “it is finished,” He honored the Sabbath once more just as He had at the beginning of creation. In the tomb, God rested. 

Have we forgotten the command to rest? For the Jews, the Sabbath was a day to rest and not do any kind of work. The laws were very strict of what one could do on the Sabbath. For example, women were not permitted to look into a mirror lest they be tempted to pluck hair, which would cause her to break the law.

Remember, the word Sabbath means rest. 

After Jesus was crucified, He was wrapped in burial cloth and laid in a borrowed tomb. Nothing is said about what happened between Friday night and Sunday morning because it was a day of rest so nothing happened. Jesus could have arose from the dead on Saturday but He didn’t. His body laid in rest. 

Christians honor Sunday as a day to rest and worship. But do you allow it to be a day of rest and worship? Is God satisfied with how we rest and worship?

God worked six days and then rested on the seventh. He commanded His people to rest. But in today’s modern world we don’t honor this commandment like we should. Let’s honor God and do as He commands. Let’s rest and worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. 

Pray

‭Lord, I honor You and keep Your Commandments in my heart. You have blessed me and I in return honor You. 

Do Your Problems Control Your Life?

Encouragement, Trust

‘I have set the Lord always before me; Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.’
Psalms 16:8

What you focus on the most will dominate your life. If you continually focus on your problems guess what? Your problems will determine the direction of your life. But if you choose to focus on Christ and put Him first, He will be your guide.

The Holman Christian Standard Version says, “I keep the Lord in mind always.” This gives us a better understanding. It means that you choose to relate everything you encounter to your trust in the Lord. No matter what we face we can trust that God already has the outcome or the solution at hand.

The person who is at the “right hand” is considered the most powerful position of influence. Because the Lord is at “my right hand”, the Psalmist says, I will not be moved or shaken. This speaks in terms of security because the Lord is at our right hand and there is no need to worry.

Have you positioned Christ to stand beside you, to guide you, and to protect you? It takes a personal relationship with Jesus to put Him in the most important position in your life. If the Lord be for us, who can be against us (Romans 8:31)?

What is controlling your life? Is it your problems or your faith in God?

Pray

Lord, I choose to put You first in my life. I position You at my right hand. You are my Strength and my Defender.

The Blessing Of Comfort

Encouragement, Trust

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Matthew 5:4

Life is tough.  Life on this side of eternity has it’s disappointments, discouragements, and defeats.  At some point in time we all suffer emotional discomfort.  

The people we love the most are the ones who hurt us the most.  It’s important that we learn how to endure our greatest disappointments and defeats so that we can be the person God has called us to be.

We can react to our hurt and pain by either mourning or moaning.  Mourning will lead us to comfort but moaning will lead us to complaining. The devil wants us to moan and complain because he wants us to be miserable.  

Jesus desires that we appropriately mourn so that He can comfort us and restore us.  We must learn to properly mourn when we hurt.

Jesus gives nine Beatitudes or Blessings that help us live according to His plan and purpose.  Verse 4 is the blessing of mourning that leads to comfort.  Jesus promises to comfort those who hurt.  

If there is anyone who can understand your hurt and pain,  it is Jesus.  The people who were singing, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”  were the same people who were shouting, “Crucify Him, Crucify Him!” a few days later.  Jesus suffered more emotional hurt and pain than anyone else.

If you have lost a loved one or suffering the loss of a job, have you mourned? Maybe you have been hurt by a spouse, a friend, or even a church member.  If you are hurting, turn and talk to Jesus about it.  Jesus says, “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Pray

Lord, I’m hurting and need Your love and compassion. Help me to forgive. Give me the power to overcome all things that try to pull me down.