HAPPY NEW YEAR...2012

We are on the threshold of a new year.  In just a few hours we will cross the threshold into 2012.  These are moments of reflection and contemplation.  Most of us find it difficult to believe that 2011 is gone and is now in the anals of history.  It is only when we sit quietly and reflectively that we are aware of all that the last year held.  As a pastor I reflect upon on the events in my own life and the events in the lives of the people I shepherd.  There have been times of laughing and times of weeping.  There have been mountain tops and there have been valleys.  Even now I think of many of those with whom I rejoiced and the many with whom I wept. 

These moments of contemplation remind  me that God is God and we are not...and that God is absolutley sovereign and we are not.  We have experienced again and again the truthfulness of His word in such passages as Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together  for good to thosw who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  God is in control, and even if our lives, our nation and our world seem to be coming apart at the seams God is still God and He is still on the Throne.  For this great truth I am exceedingly thankful.

Today I was reading the biography of George Muller by F.G. Warne.  The first chapter opens with a quote by Bishop Taylor.  In  beautiful, picturesque lanuage Bishop Tayor  describes the power of our sovereign God.  So have I seen the sun with a little ray of distant light challenge all the powers of darkness, and without violence and noise, climbing up the hill, hath made night so to retire that its memory was lost in the joy and springliness of the morning.  Here we have it, the power of God to dispel the darkness with one little ray of light. 

Each year I select a verse for the year.  A few years back I chose Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the thoughts I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  This was just the verse for that bygone year.  I held onto it throughout the year and received comfort, encouragement and hope its promise.

This year I have returned to Jeremiah 29 for my verse.  This year the longing of my heart is that I might know a deeper longing for God.  This, my 61st year of life, is a year that I want to know the Lord more intimately, personally and powerfully than ever before.  This year I am captured by Jeremiah 29:13, And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  I pray that this will be an "All of my heart" year for Jesus. 

As I wish you a Happy New year I am praying that 2012 will be a Jeremiah 29:13 year for you.

Happy New Year,
Roger Willmore
Jeremiah 29:13

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

"The primary business of the Christian faith is not to give us peace and joy. It is to bring us to the knowledge of truth."

God's Mighty Army

Five college students spending a Sunday in London went to hear the famed C.H. Spurgeon. While awaiting the doors to open, they were greeted by a man asking, "Gentlemen, may I show you around? Let me show you the 'heating plant' of this church." Being a hot day in July, they were not particularly interested. Not wanting to offend the stranger, they consented. The young men were quietly ushered down a stairway, where a door was reverently opened as the guide whispered, "This is our heating plant!" They were surprised to see 700 people bowed in prayer, seeking God's blessing on the service soon to begin in the auditorium above. As he closed the door, their guide introduced himself- he was none other than Spurgeon himself.

Spurgeon credited his success to his praying church members declaring, "Among all the formative influences that go to make up a man honored of God in the ministry, I know of none more mighty than the intercession of his parishioners. Without it, he will most likely be a failure."

Spurgeon's praying congregation was at the heart of his historic ministry. Every pastor should have the confidence that his congregation is praying for him as he serves the people, prepares his messages and preaches the word of God. What a difference the prayers of the people can and will make.

How is the "Heating Plant" in your church?

RDW

It has been a long time since I last posted.  Seems like life gets to going so fast that it is difficult to find the time to sit down and post comments and thoughts that are hopefully helpful and insightful. Dr. Robert G. Witty, a long time friend and mentor, lived to be 100 years and six months old.  He was one of my dearest friends.  He taught Bible classes in his assisted living home and Sunday School at his home church up to just two weeks before he died.  In his 90's Dr. Witty hosted two websites (I wish the sites were still up).  He told me the computer had given him the opportunity to minister to the world.  He posted Bible Studies, Sermons, Helpful Pastoral Hints and much, much more. He knew how to seize opportunities...he knew how to make oppotunities.  He would often say, "Find a wave and ride it...or make a wave and ride it."  This was his way of saying...always be moving forward, advancing the cause of Christ.

I sit here in my home study today, a rainy Labor Day, reminded that at my finger tips is a machine and technology through which I can speak to people around the world.  I think I am going to start using this opportunity for good and for God more often.

Also see my comments in "A Word From the Pastor" at http://www.deerfootbaptist.org/

Remember:  JESUS NEVER FAILS    (Robert G. Witty)

Thanks for reading my ramble today.  Please leave a comment if you visit this blog.  Let me know if you visit me from time to time.  Thanks.