Three centuries before Christ’s birth, Epicurus, a Greek Philosopher, defined pleasure as the highest good. He advocated, “Above all else, avoid pain.” Lord Byron, the great English poet lamented, “My days are in the yellow leaf, the flowers and fruit of life are gone.” Blaise Pascal a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Christian philosopher wrote, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man, which only God can fill through His Son Jesus Christ.” He was absolutely correct. Yet men and women down through the ages, and indeed to this very day, have frantically sought to fill the emptiness within their lives by pleasure, wealth and power. How much better to heed the wisdom of the old song that tells us “Only Jesus can satisfy your soul, and only He can change your heart and make you whole. He’ll give you peace you never knew, sweet love and joy and heaven too, for only Jesus can satisfy your soul.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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In the mid 1950s, five young American missionaries were murdered by Auca Indians in South America. However, out of the tragedy came triumph, and their deaths were not in vain because many other missionaries took up the challenge. Among them was Elizabeth Elliot, the wife of one of the murdered missionaries, who courageously returned with her young daughter and the entire Auca tribe was reached with the gospel. Her slain husband, Jim Elliot had earlier written in his diary, “ He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Jesus once asked, “what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?” In light of the fact that you and I are going to live somewhere forever, is it wise to center all our attention on this life and never give thought to the next? On a tombstone in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia, there is a solemn warning. greatly Those words are- “Prepare to meet thy God

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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I recently read about a young naval officer who achieved his life long dream of commanding his own ship. One stormy night, he noted a strange light rapidly closing, with his vessel. Alarmed, he quickly radioed “Alter course ten degrees south.” Soon a message came back to him, “Alter your course ten degrees north. This is the Lighthouse.” The story, if true, reminds one that often, in our ignorance, we think we know more and are more important than God. But our little human ship doesn’t change or move God’s truth. It is still truth whether we believe it or not. Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” Another time He said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” In fact, Jesus is the truth, and when we enter into a personal relationship with Him, we are on the right track to heaven because Jesus also said, “I am the way the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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When Lyndon Johnston was the Vice-President of the United States, he visited Karachi, Pakistan. He shook hands with people at random. But when he noticed camel driver Bashir Ahmad, he said to him good naturedly “Come over and see me in America.” Local newsmen picked up the story and diplomatic machinery began to move. Because Ahmad took Johnston at his word, he had a transatlantic flight and a sight-seeing trip, not to be soon forgotten. And did you know that a wonderful promise was issued to all of us by the Lord Jesus, King of Kings. He invites, “ Come unto me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give your rest.” Politicians do not always keep their promises, but the Savior does. When we take Him at His Word, He offers forgiveness, and the gift of eternal life. No one, who sincerely calls on Him is ever turned away, because our Lord also said, “Him who comes to me I will in now wise cast out.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Last month, sixteen year old Evan Xie, (shi-a) a grade ten student at Kings-Edgehill School in Windsor Nova Scotia received the Master of Memory award, at the World Memory Championship in China. How did he do it? Among other things, he memorized the order of a randomly shuffled deck of playing cards in a little over 32 seconds, and he successfully memorized eleven hundred and eighty digits in random sequence in one hour. He has an amazing memory. Some things are good to remember. Others are best forgotten. Interestingly, our Heavenly Father, Who knows everything about us, both good and bad, chooses not to remember our wrong-doing under certain circumstances. In the Book of Isaiah, God is recorded as saying, “I, even I am He who blots out your transgressions, … and will not remember your sins.” He didn’t lower His standards. This “forgetting” is because of His love, in giving His Son to die at Calvary to pay the penalty for our sins.
 

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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“More Canadians than ever live alone and almost one quarter of them describe themselves as lonely. It is a great irony of our age that we have never been better connected, or more adrift.” Those are the words of Elizabeth Renzetti, in her Globe and Mail article, ‘A Life of Solitude’. Suffering from chronic loneliness can lead to the risk of illness and premature death. The Bible, God’s inspired Word also reveals that God recognizes the perils of loneliness. The Psalmist wrote, “God has set the lonely in families.” But suppose that you find yourself of necessity, living alone. If so, remember that God has promised His children, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” But remember this promise is to those who are part of His family and John tells us how we can become part of God’s family, writing, “As many as received Him, (Jesus) to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Dr. Nelles Silverthorne was for many years a consulting physician at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, and a research scientist. When whooping cough was a dreaded disease, he developed a vaccine for immunization. When children were dying of measles-pneumonia, he helped invent the first ever oxygen tent. But his greatest discovery came later in life. He wrote of his conversion and new found faith in Christ, “Whoever reads this, please be assured that really being ‘born again’ is the greatest decision and the most thrilling experience you can have on earth.” He had learned Jesus’ words, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Paul described new birth, available to all, writing-“If anyone is in Christ, he, is a new creation …behold all things have become new. So if think that becoming a Christian is for the naive, the gullible or the uneducated, please consider Dr. Silverthorne’s testimony.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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Canadian hockey players are well paid athletes. For the 2014-2015 season, Brad Richards from PEI received two million. Brad Malone from New Brunswick got six hundred thousand, Sydney Crosby from Nova Scotia, got twelve million, and Alberta’s Dion Phaneuf earned eight million. Their earnings are based on their skills. Most of us aren’t good hockey players or make this kind of money. But in terms of our relationship to God, when we pass from this life, we can receive the best pay of all- eternal life. Fortunately, this isn’t based on character or lifestyle, because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” and none of us is good enough to earn his or her way into heaven.” But when we admit our inability to get into heaven on our own, and humbly ask the Lord for forgiveness, we learn that regardless of skin colour, social standing, or educational level. “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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When Harry Truman was thrust into the US presidency by the death of Franklin Roosevelt, Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House, took him aside and said, “You’re going to have lots of people … tell you what a great man you are, Harry. But you and I both know you ain’t.” As it turned out, many believe that Truman became a very good President. Without a doubt, too many of us spend our lives worrying about other people’s opinion of us. But the great Apostle, Paul thought otherwise. He once wrote, “…do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.” This raises another important question- how do we please God? The writer of Hebrews answers, writing- “without faith, it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” So if we desire to please God rather than men, we must believe. That’s why Paul told the sincere, seeking Philippian jailer, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” The key is faith.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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“Hello- is this planet earth?” asked Tim Peake, a British astronaut. He was calling from the International Space Station intending to reach NASA. But when a very surprised lady answered the phone, Peake realized he had reached a wrong number. However, viewing our present world, many will find his question “is this planet earth?” relevant. In the book of Genesis, we read, “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” Later Paul explained the impact we have had and are having on our world, writing, “… just as through one man (Adam) sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned…” We have really messed things up. Thankfully, Paul was later inspired to write that for those who turn from ungodliness and place their faith in the Savior, “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What a great way to start the new year.

Pastor Alex Rockwell
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