Pastor Vicky Derksen

The Craftsman

Fri, 2 Jan 2009 12:58:48 -0700

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

As you read the rest of the Bible following Genesis 1:1, you will discover that other things took place between “In the beginning God,” and the rest of the verse.

Proverbs 8:22-23 tells us that, “The Lord brought me (wisdom) forth as the first of His works, before His deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.” And then verses 24-31 go on to tell us how wisdom was the craftsman at the Lord’s side before there was any dust of the world.

Wisdom is so important that God said, “Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom.” (Proverbs 4:7)

The Lord had us in His mind before Creation ever began. Ephesians 1:4 says, “For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.”

In addition, Jesus was crucified from the foundations of the world. “He (Jesus) was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.” (1 Peter 1:18-20). Revelation 13:8 also states, “…the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.”

John 1:1 tells us that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.”

We know that Jesus was the Word made flesh to dwell among us.

So what is the point with all this? For us to realize that God planned every detail before one moment of time existed. Do you realize that everything He created in those six days was for us?

I recently saw a bumper sticker that said, “We were made for the earth; the earth was not made for us.” That can only be said by someone doesn’t know God and His Word, or someone who refuses to acknowledge God and His Word. His Word makes it very clear that all creation before man came to be was for us to be able to survive and thrive on earth.

Nothing was by accident with God. He planned every minute detail for our existence on earth. And He has not lost the plan. Man has not messed it up beyond His control. He has not given up or lost interest in us. The things we see happening in the world around us are not a surprise to Him. He isn’t baffled or perplexed about what is going on. He knows the end from the beginning.

So put your trust and reliance and hope in Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. Lean into the Holy Spirit and you will gain wisdom and know what to do in these times. God knows exactly where we are, what is happening, where we are going, and how it will all end. Dig into the Word and you will discover it for yourself.

The Preciousness Of God’s Word

Wed, 1 Oct 2008 11:34:05 -0700

Have you ever heard of the “Flour Paper Bible”? It was written in the 1960s and only one copy ever existed. It was during the Vietnam War when a group of American POW’s was desperate for a Bible. When their captors refused to give them one, they decided to construct their own. They would take paper from flour bags and hide them away until no one was watching when they could write down all the Scriptures they could remember. They were so disappointed at how few Scriptures they really knew, but this handmade “Bible” became a precious possession for these men.

Have you heard of people in communist countries who only possessed a few pages from a Bible? They would make as many hand written copies as they could to distribute to all the believers they knew. Many of these people would keep their “Bibles” hidden under floorboards or behind walls. They faced great danger and extreme persecution for owning even these small portions of Scripture. For them, the risk was nothing compared to the joy and value of being able to have God’s Word.

I recently read a biography of Brother Andrew. In the 1960s he was instrumental in smuggling Bibles behind the Iron Curtain in Eastern Europe. It all began during the revolution when communism was gaining a strong foothold in that area of the world. Christians were being severely persecuted for their faith. He visited the “underground” church in many of these communist countries and would always be surprised to discover that no one in these churches owned a Bible… not even the pastor. They had no way of obtaining one.

Brother Andrew considered getting the Bible into the hands of these believers worth any expense and any danger he may face. Many times he prayed that God would “make seeing eyes blind” so that the Bibles would not be found and confiscated. Time after time God miraculously provided provision and safety so that His Word could be delivered all over the communist world. On one particular evening, Brother Andrew and his team delivered one million Bibles all at one time from a river boat in China. The Chinese believers were risking their lives to be there that night, but they took time to rejoice and praise God on that beach before returning home.

It is difficult for us as Americans to comprehend that kind of danger for owning a Bible. Most of us own several Bibles of various English translations. Some of us even own Bibles with very fancy, fashionable covers. And when it begins to get worn out, we simply replace it with a new one.

And yet, do we value the Word of God the way the persecuted believers do? Do we treasure it as if it were our most important possession? Do we give it special treatment, or do we leave it lying on the floor of our car until the next time we come to church? Do we ache to spend time in the Word each morning because we are so hungry for it, or do we take it for granted? Do we look for a daily devotional that takes three minutes of our time and consider that sufficient for living by, or do we devour the Word at every available opportunity?

Meditate on these Scriptures from Psalm 119:

v. 11 I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

v. 16 I delight in Your decrees; I will not neglect Your Word.

v. 20 My soul is consumed with longing for Your laws at all times.

v. 43 Do not snatch the Word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in Your laws.

v. 54 Your decrees are the theme of my song wherever I lodge.

v. 72 The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

v. 97 Oh, how I love Your law! I meditate on it all day long.

v. 103 How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!

v. 120 My flesh trembles in fear of You; I stand in awe of Your laws.

v. 131 I open my mouth and pant, longing for Your commands.

v. 161 Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at Your Word.

Take some time this week to read the entire chapter of Psalm 119. Begin to cultivate a love for the Word like never before. Begin making adjustments in your life to give the Word first place. Learn how to treasure the Word above all earthly possessions. The more you give yourself to the Word, the more you will crave it. Develop a new habit, a new addiction. Become consumed by the Word of God. It will transform every area of your life and you will be amazed at where it takes you.

Sow Your Vote

Mon, 1 Sep 2008 22:19:46 -0700

There is no mistake that we are living in the End Times spoken of in the Bible. Many people in the world are growing fearful, including many Christians. They say, “Gas prices are rising, there is a housing crisis and people are losing their homes, food prices are supposed to skyrocket, there’s talk of famine coming, and this Presidential election is freaking me out!” Then they wring their hands and say, “What are we going to do? What are we going to do?”

I’ll tell you what I’m going to do. I’m not going to participate in the turmoil, I’m not going to live in lack, and I’m not going to live in fear!

I want to address specifically the upcoming election. First of all, God expects you to vote! It is your God-given responsibility and it is your responsibility as a citizen of the United States. And don’t ever let these words escape through your lips: “My one vote doesn’t really count.” Don’t you dare buy into that! It does count, and you MAKE it count by using it!

The secular media tries desperately hard to paint a picture that Christians are in the minority in this country. That is a lie devised to discourage you and depress you. One Gallup poll showed that 84% of people surveyed firmly believe in Jesus Christ, while a separate poll indicated 94% believe in God. How can those percentages represent a minority?

The power of a single vote was shown in an article written by David Barton in the June 2008 “Believer’s Voice of Victory Magazine”. He said:

Proof that it is up to us came in the 1986 Senate races, when five candidates in separate states who stood for returning godly principles to public affairs were defeated by a collective total of 57,000 votes—less than 12,000 votes per state. In those five states, over 5 million Christians did not vote! If only one of every 100 nonvoting Christians (1 percent) had voted for the candidate supporting godly principles, all five would have been elected, thus creating a 10-vote swing in the Senate.

I hope this encourages you and challenges you to vote. Your vote is a seed given to you by God. Sow that vote with faith, expecting to reap a harvest of righteousness. And make sure you sow that vote only after you have diligently prayed and have done your homework. Find out where the candidates stand on political, economic and moral issues. We have voting guides available to help you with these issues. A reputable Christian organization has put together surveys for the Arizona candidates to find out where they stand on vital issues. This information can be very hard to find, but the work has been done for you.

As Christians, we vote for righteousness and godliness. Sometimes we don’t have a very godly selection, but there are always those who will be “more godly” than others. Don’t get caught up in the hype and emotion. Don’t let smooth words sway you. Don’t let culture sway you. Listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit on the inside of you. Pay attention to the important issues and weigh them against what the Word of God says. For example, God calls abortion murder. He calls homosexuality an abomination and says that those who engage in such practices will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Consider the foundations of our great nation. We broke away from Britain partly because of “double taxation without representation”. Our Founding Fathers had tremendous wisdom in limiting the amount of power of the government. Take all of these things into account when you are choosing a candidate.

Sow your vote, and just as important, PRAY for this election. It is vital to this nation under God!