As the young girl and her friend came bounding out of the icy water, she was heard to scream, “I will never do that again!” She was one of dozens who got up early on New Year’s Day and jumped into a large hole chopped in the solid ice in her city’s harbour. The young lady had made up her mind that it was something she would never repeat. And many of us have done something which we regret, such as making unwise choices in life. But the greatest mistake any of us can make is to leave God out of our lives. That’s because only Jesus can satisfy our spiritual needs with forgiveness of our wrong-doing. He alone is “the way the truth and the life.” No one can come to the Father except through Him. As noted author Eugenia Price advised, “don’t go through life practicing your mistakes.”
 

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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W. Gifford Jones is a Medical doctor, and a popular newspaper columnist. A while back he made some interesting suggestions to make life more relaxing. One- learn to live within your means. Two – learn to separate the possible from the impossible. Three- Practice patience with a problem until the right solution comes along. To Dr. Jones’ excellent suggestions, I’d like add a fourth. Make your peace with God by placing your faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. When we do that, while our situations may seem impossible to us, “With God all things are possible.” In problem solving, God says “ If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally … and it will be given to him.” Some stress is inevitable in life, but with God’s help we can learn how to react to it properly. Please think about that

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Victor Hugo is famous for Les Misérables and the Hunchback of Notre Dame. He once prophesied, “In the 20th Century war will be dead; the scaffold will be dead…” Then came the Boer war, the first and second world wars, the Korean and Vietnamese wars. As sincere and well-meaning as Hugo was, he had an unreal view of mankind. Wars are still with us, hatred is alive and well because man is still a fallen sinful creature. But there is hope. Paul was inspired to write, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Later he explained, “If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” This is a dark old world, but Jesus is the light of the world.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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A man who was in pain and fading in and out of consciousness, was rushed to the emergency department of a Maritime hospital. After waiting four hours, he finally saw a doctor, who examined him hurriedly and released him. Fortunately, another doctor was uneasy about the diagnosis and ordered further investigation. The patient was found to be in a life-threatening condition. Appropriate steps were taken which saved his life. Careful diagnosis is vital. And it is even more important when it pertains to our spiritual health. The Bible gives a proper diagnosis for everyone of us, telling us that “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked…” Thankfully our Heavenly Father, the Great Physician has prescribed the cure. He says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Henrietta Howland “Hetty” Green was an American businesswoman and financier. She inherited one hundred million dollars when she was thirty years old, eventually becoming a billionaire. Sadly, her obsession with money caused the estrangement of her husband and children. When her son Ned broke his leg, she treated him at home to save money, resulting in his leg being amputated. Hetty’s story reminds one of a caution in the New Testament written by Timothy. He wrote, “…the love of money is the root of all evil…” Jesus warned, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth… but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” We are here on earth for just a while. But we are going to live somewhere forever. Let’s live with eternity’s values in view.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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“I am so thankful you are my husband…You have been a godly example as a husband, father and grandfather. I thank God for bringing us together. I love you more today than when we were first married.” Those words were written by a grateful wife shortly before her death. In a day when, according to Statistics Canada, nearly half of all marriages end in divorce, it is remarkable to hear of such a marriage. Paul the Apostle, in the Bible urged, “…husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it.” Such human love is a picture of God’s love for us. He loved us so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus to die on that old rugged cross for us. As a wife receives her husband’s love, we can receive God’s love. When we do, He comes into our lives, makes us His children and prepares us for heaven.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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It is said that there are about forty two hundred religions in the world. But there are only two- the “do” religion and the “done” religion. All “do” religions teach that by doing good works we can prepare ourselves for the next life. Do this, or do that, and gain God’s favour. But the Bible clearly informs us that there’s nothing we can do to please God because we are separated from Him by our wrong-doing, our sin. But thankfully, what we can’t do, Jesus has already done by dying for our sins on the cross. He cried out from that old rugged cross, “It is finished.” Everything needed to forgive our sins and bring us into a proper relationship with God has been done. Paul explained that it’s “by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not by works…” Christ has done all we need.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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The telegraph was invented in the 1830s and 1840s by a number of inventors, most notably by Samuel Morse. His Morse code revolutionized communication. Surprisingly, the first words sent by Morse were “What God hath wrought.” When acclaimed, he said, “I knew I never deserved it. I made this contribution to mankind not because I was brilliant, but because God needed someone to convey this gift to the world.” Samuel Morse, in refusing to take credit for something he received from God, illustrates God’s great plan of salvation. Many think that through religion, or good works, we become Christians, Titus made clear that it is “…not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us…”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Lloyd Douglas, author of “The Robe,” once asked a professor acquaintance, “What’s the good news this morning?” The professor tapped a tuning fork and replied, “That’s middle C- it was Middle C yesterday and it will still be Middle C a thousand years from now.” In this fast paced ever changing world, everyone needs a Middle C, a someone who will always be there, no matter what else changes. David the Psalmist introduced, with certainty, such a One, writing, “From everlasting to everlasting, you are God. Jesus said, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” The writer of the book of Hebrews described Jesus as “…the same yesterday and today and forever.” We cannot stop change in our world. It is inevitable. But we can put our hand in the hand of the One who is the everlasting God.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario Canada have found that some people heed the health advice of famous people, even when it is contradicted by medical professionals. Steven Hoffman, a health policy professor at McMaster said, “This can be dangerous when celebrities promote something that is not backed up by science…” When seeking counsel, there is nothing more critical than that pertaining to our spiritual health. Paul the Apostle speaking of this, wrote of certain wise people who “received the Word … examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.” When studying a subject in our Bibles, it’s important to read what precedes and what follows, to understand the true meaning. Jesus promised “If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know if the teaching is of God.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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