Masters Harbor Ministries
Where one can find peace from the storms of life.
August 25, 2024
Our Word of God comes from 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, and is titled, "Seen and Unseen"...
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
From the day we are born, from the second we take the first breath of life into our bodies, our bodies are dying. But the question is, are WE, not our bodies, living or dying? How do others see us? Do they see us as living beings, grasping the most joy out of life that we can? Do they see us as rulers of our world? Do they see us as people who are burning our candles at both ends with the pedal to the metal and our hair on fire? Or do they see us as a living corpse? Someone who is a slave to the body we have and dying right along with it? Though I'm sure each of you have seen people in your life that have fit into both of these scenarios, but when people look at us, I pray they see us as neither of these.
You and I have been given an amazing gift in this world. You and I have a responsibility for the gifts we have been given. For not only are we living beings, but we are living Christians. The God of all creation has called us unto Him, and we heard His voice, and we came. Now this act did not add a single day to our lives, but it certainly added life to our days. So many people are walking around in this world not knowing what tomorrow or their future may hold, but as Christians, we know that our tomorrow is going to bring us another day in service to God and that our future holds paradise. And though our bodies are dying a little more each and every day, our spirit is not dying. Our spirit is just as alive as it was on the day we were born. Even more so, for now we know our Father in Heaven is real. We know that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins so we could be forgiven and adopted into our Father's family. And while many are living their lives day in and day out for what they see before them, we are living day in and day out for what is unseen.
Though we have not seen it, we know what the unseen is. And though we may not know what our paradise will look like, we live each day in the knowledge that in our Father's house are many mansions and that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us. But it is not for a mansion that we serve. We serve that we may look upon the faces of our Savior and our Father. We serve because we desire as God desires, that not even one be lost. We live for others as much or more than we live for ourselves. Outside of this ministry, there are a lot of people who have never witnessed a miracle, but inside this ministry, we have witnessed many miracles. Your pastor is one of them, having died three times and been one single shot away from being planted in the earth. Our brother in Christ and fellow Servant, David Wilder, is alive today because of a miracle we prayed for. Reggie Copeland is alive today because of a miracle we prayed for. Our fellow Servant and Outreach Minister is a three-time walking miracle, and these don't even begin to scratch the surface of the miracles we have witnessed in this ministry. And yes, we have also witnessed many miracles of our brother and sister Servants being called home to their reward. So, since we have seen so many miracles, let us live our lives as if we have seen miracles. Let us live our lives in a manner that others simply must ask what the secret behind the constant smile on our face. Let us help others see beyond what is seen. That which has been made visible to us...
Let us pray... Father, we thank you for being in our lives each day. We thank you that when we look at this old world, we know that it is not our home, but simply a place for our bodies to return to the dust we were made from. We praise you that you have chosen us for something far better than anything this old world has to offer. And we praise you for our Lord and Savior who died on the cross to make it possible for us to experience a little bit of heaven each day as we serve. May all the glory be yours. In Jesus' name we pray... Amen...
Pastor Elmer
August 22, 2024
Our Word of God comes from Proverbs 12:17-18, and is titled, "The Miracle of Healing"...
An honest witness tells the truth, but a false witness tells lies. The words of the reckless pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
I spoke last night with Jacque concerning Mark's failure to accept that God will not provide the miracle he is praying for. As was mentioned in her message, Jacque spoke with Mark about the fact that God heals in two ways. One is the healing we pray for, and the other is ULTIMATE healing. With her experience and medical knowledge, Jacque is very much aware that Mark's prayer for a miracle in Joan's case falls along the same lines as raising someone from the grave. Yes, it is possible, for all things are possible through God, but it is more likely that God will soon be calling His child to come home where she shall receive ultimate healing and never experience pain or suffering again. Unfortunately, the pain Mark fears, the pain he cannot even bear to think of in his heart and in his mind, will not allow him to even consider the possibility of losing his wife, and Jacque, with all her knowledge of the Lord and all her love for Joan and Mark, cannot find the words to prepare him for that loss. To prepare him now that he may understand the gift Joan will receive when she passes from her tortured body into the arms of her Father in Heaven.
Finding words of healing can be difficult. And even when you have those words, the other person may not want to hear them, as is the case with Jacque and Mark. Now when it came to telling Mark about the road to salvation, Mark believed Jacque and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, but when it comes to losing the love of his life, he simply cannot believe that God could take her from him. Like most men, he likely felt he would be the first to go and did not prepare himself otherwise. I myself am fully aware that there is a greater chance of me passing before my wife, but I also know that is not a guarantee. Each of us carry a clock of life, and when that clock stops ticking our life on this old earth ball will be over. And the fact is, we know not when that clock will stop. The wise person prepares for that day. We have been wise. Though we may have not believed at first, we have come to know God, ask forgiveness and accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. We know that when we breathe our last, we are paradise bound. That's the easy part. What is difficult is when the clock stops ticking for someone we love. Even loving God as much as we do, that is going to shake our world greater than any earthquake ever could. Losing someone we love rips the heart apart, but we absolutely must believe and accept that our loved one is with God. Now given that they are with God, and we are still in this world, who is better off?
We must still endure this old world until the day our clock stops, and we join them in the presence of God. But as God's children, as His Servants, we are bound to speak words of healing to our brothers and sisters who have suffered a loss. Just as we speak words of healing for our brothers and sisters in prayer, we must also speak words of healing to those who have suffered a loss. Jacque's words were an attempt to begin that healing. To prepare Mark for the inevitable, just in case. And though her words seemed to have provided no healing for his breaking heart at the time, they will in time. Though he did not want to hear them now, should Joan pass from this world from the disease that has taken over her body, Mark will recall those words and understand that his wife has been healed PERMANENTLY and forever. None of us know the power of the words we speak nor when they will take root and grow, but they are godly words and we must believe that when the time is right, God will make them grow and provide the needed healing. Words are the seeds God uses to grow miracles...
Let us pray... Father, we pray tonight that you will help us hear your words. We pray that the words we speak to others will be the seeds you need to make miracles happen in their lives, just as your words make miracles happen in ours. Father, we are blessed to be your servants and we pray you will give us the strength and the courage to go forward with hope rather than back down in fear. In Jesus' name we pray... Amen...
Pastor Elmer
August 19, 2024
Our Word of God comes from Proverbs 27:19, and is titled, "Our True Reflection"...
As water reflects the face, so one's life reflects the heart.
I titled this message "Our True Reflection" because the heart reveals to our Father in Heaven the type of person we truly are. I believe each of us would agree that most people on this earth have two faces. The face they display in public and the face they display when no one is watching. Thus, no one is capable of making a judgement call based on the face alone. A face can be insanely beautiful or incredibly handsome, but it can be attached to a deceitful person with a ugly heart. Likewise, a very ugly person can be the most beautiful person in the world, but how do we unveil who a person truly is; who has an ugly heart and who has a beautiful heart? It may be easier than we think.
Regardless of the face a person has, regardless of how good they look or don't look, regardless, if there is a smile or a frown upon their face, we can usually tell by their actions if they have a good heart. We can watch a person and get a good picture of their heart. How they treat others. Do they show respect for their fellow man or woman? Observing how people interact with others is a very good way to determine if they have a good heart. But the best way to get a true determination about whether a person has a good heart or not can easily be assessed by what they do when they don't think anyone is watching. Many people will demonstrate compassion when in the presence of others, but the person with a truly beautiful heart is the one who demonstrates compassion even when they think no one is watching.
And do you know who is really good at doing that? God! God is with us always. Whether we are Christians or non-Christian. One cannot hide the type of person they are from God. They cannot hide the type of heart they have behind a smiling face. And yes, we all have issues that God sees and does not approve of, but each of us who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have a clean slate. We will still be sinners until the day we die, from which we cannot escape, but God has separated our sins from us as far as the East is from the West, so He is able to see the beautiful heart of His child. The child who loves His Son. The child who loves their neighbor as they love themselves. The child that prays for others, even their enemies, as they would a brother or sister. For when we truly accept Jesus Christ, we receive a new heart. A heart capable of housing the Holy Spirit of God, regardless of what our face looks like. So, by all means, we should take care of the way we look as best we can, but never lose focus of the fact that our heart shows our true reflection...
Let us pray... Father, if given the choice of good looks or a good heart, we choose the heart. We give thanks that you have sent your Holy Spirit to live within our hearts so as to clean up the mess we have made there, but we are forever thankful that you have called to our hearts that we may know what true and pure love really is. But none of this would have even been possible without the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Through Him we have learned how our hearts were truly meant to work. So it is in His name we pray tonight... Amen...
Pastor Elmer
August 17, 2024
Our Word of God comes from John 12:44-46, and is titled, "Seeing Is Believing"...
Then Jesus cried out, "Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
How many people do we know who struggle with faith? How many people do we know who reject faith altogether? Just think how easy it would have been to believe if we had just seen Jesus. Or would it? Unfortunately, the title of this message is a complete lie. Seeing is not necessarily believing. Would it have been enough to see Jesus? Would it have been enough to hear His words? Would it have been enough to have seen him heal the sick, give hearing to the deaf or sight to the blind. Would that have been enough to get people to believe in Jesus? On television we have seen faith healers do these same things, later to find out that the people healed were just faking and those who were truly in need received no relief because "they did not truly believe." I remember watching a television show where a magician made the Statue of Liberty disappear, but it didn't. Could people who had witnessed Jesus performing His miracles possibly think it was all smoke and mirrors? Truth is, many who saw Him, many who heard Him, many who witnessed the miracles He performed, did not believe.
Not one in this group has ever seen Jesus! Still, each of us belong to this ministry, and perhaps even others, and believe that Jesus is for real. Without any evidentiary proof, we believe to the point that we take time out of our day to serve. We testify to what God has done in our lives, without ever seeing His actual hand at work. But we know with every fiber of our being that He is real. We know that we have been forgiven even though we also know we did not deserve to be forgiven. We know it in both our heart and our mind. We know the stories in our bible are real and we petition others to believe through the conviction of our words, again without any evidentiary proof. We plant a seed and pray that it will take root and grow a bountiful crop of faith in those we share with, and time and time again people believe and turn to the Lord when they hear that calling that we heard. Then again, just as in the days when Jesus walked among men, many do not believe.
As much as I wish it wasn't, I must confess that believing in God can be very difficult. Though having eyes, they do not see. Though having ears, they do not hear. If one does not want to see or hear, they will not. I did not see nor hear for the first 40 years of my life, though I had attended many churches and participated in many conversations and heard many sermons about our amazing Lord. And even on the day I finally heard and saw what I needed to put me on a path to the Lord, I still was not ready to fully believe. Yes, I invited God into my life that day, but the only thing that finally sealed the deal was the day God invited me into His life. On that day, I heard firsthand the God of all creation speaking to me and telling me it was time for me to ask forgiveness of my sins. On that day, I saw firsthand that same God of all creation forgive my sins and save me from hell. And on the next day, I witnessed the arrival of His Holy Spirit into my heart and my soul was finally given life. Ever since, I have been testifying that God is real and that what He did for me, He can do for anyone! But even though that may see and hear the strength of my conviction, there are still those who do not believe. But the believer's eyes and ears are wide open, and we no longer need to see to believe...
Let us pray... Father, how can we ever give enough thanks for the effort you had to put in to get us to believe. To get us to take those first steps that would result in salvation and a relationship with the God of all creation. The steps that would lead us to know instead of just believe. We may have never seen your actual face, and we may have never heard your actual voice, but we believe with every fiber of our body and soul, and we know we are not wrong. Father, we give thanks for your tenacity, and we give thanks for your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray... Amen...
Pastor Elmer
August 15, 2024
Our Word of God comes from Matthew 15:30 and is titled, "Lay Them At His Feet"...
Great crowds came to him, bringing the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at his feet; and he healed them.
We call ourselves Servants of God, but just what does that term mean? As I look at this first message for the month of August, I can't help but see that it is already halfway through the month. Now I could have sent this message out on the first day, but I usually save the prayers and updates that Jim provides each month until the first prayer request, however I did not feel I could wait any longer. Now that isn't on you, that is on me. So, to begin with, I need to do better. But as I address my own shortcomings, I feel I must also pose this question. "Is there no one out there in the presence of God's Servants that is in need of prayer?"
Our scripture reading for tonight speaks of the Servants of old; of what they did for their fellow man during the days that Jesus walked among His children. They brought to Him and laid before Him, those who needed healing. The lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and He healed them. Unfortunately, Jesus no longer walks among us in human form, but it is the responsibility of His Servants of today to continue to bring those in need of healing before Him and lay them at His feet, and the only way we can perform this service is to lift them up before our Lord in prayer. In doing that, we lay them at His feet, and He heals them. Now it may not always be the healing we ask for, but it is a healing, and unless we do our part, it is a healing they may not receive.
Yes, we have some amazing medicines and some very skilled professionals to care for people, but none of that can hold a candle to those being placed in the hands of our Heavenly Father. So tonight, as I challenge myself to do a better job of serving you, I pray you will challenge yourself to do a better job of serving His children. I know we are all very caught up in living and surviving in our day to day lives, but there are many out there, our brothers and sisters, who are in need of God's healing. Let us return to those days of yesteryear and show compassion for our fellow man and woman. Let us seek out our brothers and sisters, our neighbors, our coworkers, and yes, even the stranger we just met, and bring them before God. Let us not just call ourselves Servants but let us earn our title by being Servants. Let us lay them at His feet, in prayer. Prayers are not just words we speak that fall on deaf ears. They travel from our mouths to God's ear and straight to His heart, that His love may overflow on His children...
Let us pray... Father, if we have failed you in our service, we ask your forgiveness. And we ask you to convict our hearts to seek out our brothers and sisters in need and bring them before you in the only way we know how. In our prayers. We pray you will continue to hear and answer our prayers. Not for our glorification, but that you may be glorified above all others. In Jesus' name we pray... Amen...
Pastor Elmer
