Freshwater: Pastor Paul Page from the Salt Creek Bulletin, February 2020

Freshwater

Located in the wilds of Wyoming, the name Freshwater was chosen as a Western analogy to Christ. Just as He is the Living Water, and we must have Him to have eternal life, any desert dweller knows the importance of fresh water to life, both for self, and the nourishment of crops or livestock. By taking nourishment in God and His word, we strengthen our own relationship with Him, our faith, and the quality and abundance of our fruitfulness.

Our keystone verse is from Jeremiah, Chapter 17, Verse 8: "For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see whenSave heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit."

The fruit that we speak of is mentioned in Galatians 5:22
"²²But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law."

And the heat could be anything we experience that might test our faith in God; trials and tribulations, relationships, anything that focuses our love and attention anywhere but on Him...

Wednesday, March 11, 2020

Pastor Paul Page from the Salt Creek Bulletin, February 2020

Every believer should have the desire to hear from God. We understand you can pray and speak to God and he hears our prayers but not everyone realizes that God speaks back to the believer.

Psalm 32:8 tells us God Wants to teach us ⁸I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Psalm 139 shares that God stays close to his children to protect them. ¹O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.² Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.³Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.⁴ For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.⁵Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. ⁶Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.⁷ Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?⁸If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.⁹ If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;¹⁰Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Gods desire is to have a relationship with us. There isn’t anything about us that God doesn’t already know. There are no problems or pain that we have ever suffered that Jesus has not felt. He has been through any fire we have experienced. Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; (physical or mental weakness) but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Hebrews 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor (assistance and support in times of hardship and distress) them that are tempted.

Isaiah 53:3-4 ³ He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.⁴ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

Paul Brow, Haven of Rest