Covenant Church

Recently Laila and I took 6 of our grandchildren back to my maternal grandparents' home-place. I asked the children to follow me into the old cellar near the house. Standing inside the building I told them about the year of 1960 when heavy snow came through on consecutive Wednesdays to the mountains of Western North Carolina. The bitter cold kept the snow piling up. Roads were blocked. Homes were cut-off. Many homes either had no telephone or the lines were out because of the storm.

The Governor of North Carolina declared a state of emergency for certain counties. Helicopters dropped packages of food and supplies from the skies.

On top of one of those mountains my grandfather Clark Miller lived. A farmer and cattleman, he had lived through hard times and knew to plan for hard times. In 1890 he had worked in cornfields from dawn to dusk for one penny per day. Hard-earned wisdom had taught him to prepare for tough times.

The two-story building stands today as it was in 1960. When the Governor's helicopters were flying overhead and dropping food they did not know that inside that cellar was enough food for a small army. Hams hung from the ceiling. Fatback and bacon sides lay on shelves. Hundreds of jars of vegetables, jams and jellies filled the shelves. Bushels of potatoes, sweet potatoes, and other foods were there. Dried onions, stringed beans, etc., hung from rafters.

About a hundred yards away were chicken houses, barns, etc., with enough meat to live out the hardest winter. On the inside of the house was additional stored food.

Granddad never forgave the Governor for the insult. That he was treated like a poor man smarted like alcohol in a fresh wound.

I think of Granddad and 1960 as an example of how the news media and evil forces would suggest to us that nothing is right in our world. Everything good is only an illusion. There is no pure gold. There is no virtue. Everything has a dirty side.

It was so in the days of Noah that God said: "Every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5KJV) But it was also true that in such a time Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:9 KJV)

Flying over and looking down it may seem that the world is a bleak place to be. Life is a sorry lot. There seems to be no rhyme or reason. Solomon on a bad day observed: "Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher. Behold all is vanity." (Ecclesiastes 1:2 KJV)

But it is not so. God does not need a helicopter to fly over. He knows where we are. He knows our thoughts and motives. He knows what is in our hearts. He honors honor. He rewards faithfulness. He who is faithful promises good things.

David had been anointed to be king. However, instead of a crown King Saul tried to kill David. Instead of people treating David with honor, traitors tried to deliver David to Saul for Saul to kill David.

Beautifully the Bible in I Samuel 23 notes that in the midst of all of David's difficulties GOD DID NOT GIVE DAVID TO SAUL.

Our Faithful God is on his throne. His warehouses are full. His love is generous. His caring is total. His mercies are everlasting. His grace is sufficient.

If we were stranded on a mountain or in a valley and in need Our God would come to the rescue.

Our God is a door opener. He looks for opportunities for us to do great and noble deeds that bring glory to Him.

So let the devil tell all the bad news. There is good news. We are and will win through Jesus Christ. We are more than conquerors through Him (Romans 8:37). The Holy Spirit has chosen us for this hour to be champions for righteousness.

Covenant Church must advance. We are not waiting in line for a care package. God has given to us His Holy Spirit. We are preparing battle. We believe this is our time. This is harvest time. We were created for this time. We desire to be and to do all that Our God made us to be and do!

Much love

Pastor Bare

Romans 8:37  "in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." ( NIV)