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Proverbs 1: 7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” The fear of the Lord does not mean...

Monday, January 27, 2025

God’s Voice

Psalm 19: 1-4

“1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.

3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.  4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

Studies have shown that the average American spends less than five hours a week outside.  In fact,  to many Americans, nature is seen as threatening and something to be avoided.  We prefer to be in the manmade world rather than the creation of  God.

God gave us dominion over the natural world.  Through our dominion, we were to come to know Him; to deepen our relationship with Him; to become more like Him.  

Our disconnect with nature is causing a disconnect with God.  God uses nature to reveal Himself; to speak to us, and we are not looking or listening.

We are suffering spiritually from our disconnect with God.

Yet, the clouds are still in the skies.

The wind still blows through the trees.

The flowers still bloom in spring.

The birds still sing and fly away.

And the voice of God continues to call our name.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)


Monday, January 20, 2025

God’s Assurance

Psalm 16:7-11

“7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.

8 I keep the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. 9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.

10 For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit. 11 You show me the path of life.  In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

God, through scripture, has assured us that when we sincerely repent of our sins, we are forgiven.  We receive this assurance from the Holy Spirit.  Many Christians do not have this assurance because they doubt their worthiness due to past sins.  They do not feel forgiven.  They let their guilt for those sins quench the truth of the Holy Spirit.

The assurance of salvation for a Christian is worth all the material treasures of a lifetime. Assurance is what gives us spiritual peace that surpasses all understanding  and the deep sense of satisfaction that we keep in our hearts no matter our situation or circumstances.

Through the gift of assurance, we are given a sense of what heaven will be like when we are in God’s presence.

“Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, Born of his Spirit, washed in His blood “

(Blessed Assurance, UMH p. 369)  


May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)


Wednesday, January 15, 2025

God’s Hope

Psalm 8:3-9

“3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established, 4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them,

mortals that you care for them? 5 Yet you have made them a little lower than God,

and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, 7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.9 O Lord, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

God’s beautiful, mysterious, awe inspiring creation is limitless, a work of His boundless love.  He gave us dominion over His wondrous work, even though we are finite creatures with a bent to sin. 

Who are we that God loves us so?  Who are we that we are trusted with such a glorious honor?

This  is amazing given our daily rejection of Him; given our misuse and abuse of His creation; given our greed and our pride; given our anger and our violence. 

God’s hope, born of His infinite love for us, is that we will rise to the occasion. 

So, the earth continues to revolve around the sun.  The stars continue to shine in the heavens.

And God’s hope for all humanity shines forth.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)


Monday, January 6, 2025

Light in Heaven

Matthew 2:9-12

“ 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”

During this time, many Jews were scattered throughout the Roman Empire and the East. With them they carried the hope of the Messiah as promised in the scriptures.

The Magi were aware of these scriptures and prophecies and were eager to see for themselves this promised Messiah.

God guided the Magi to Jesus using a special star that He knew would attract their attention.  With God’s help, they found the holy family who were now living in a house.  They worshiped the Messiah and presented him with gifts.

With God’s help, the Magi avoided another encounter with the jealous King Herod and were able to return home.

God’s ancient words, and God’s light in the heavens, led men from far away to see The Word and the light lying in His mother’s arms.

God incarnate.


May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)