NHCF Blog

by Luke KincaidLast week while reading through a devotion on Psalm 149 I came across a much needed reminder contained in verse 4 which reads as follows: 4 For the Lord takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.Ross Lester is one of my heroes in the faith and I identify and agree with his following notes on this Psalm which say:“I sometimes feel like God just barely tolerates me. On good days, when I can remember that Christ’s righteousness is gifted to me, I can still think that is a begrudging exchange – like God the Father has to love me because of Jesus, but he doesn’t really like me. In my experience as a pastor, I have learned that I am not the only one who feels this way. People really struggle to imagine that God enjoys us.”This is such a dangerous lie to allow to infiltrate our thought life as it will then negatively affect our relationship with God. The truth is that God takes pleasure in His people. If you are a child of God, God is currently taking pleasure in you in this very moment – what a truth!So regardless of where you are in life right now know that if you are a disciple of Jesus, this is how God feels about you. There is nothing you can do to make Him love you any more or any less because God looks at you, a genuine disciple, He sees His perfect Son – Jesus: 26 ...for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus. 27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. – Galatians 3:26-27 Much love,Luke

by Graham Mol Have you ever experienced an earthquake? I've encountered a few minor tremors in my lifetime but nothing that would classify as a full-blown earthquake. In reading of the experience of those who have lived through quakes on the higher end of the Richter scale, one of the comments that is often made is how terrifying it is when something that you know to be solid and dependable, the ground itself, is now shaking and unstable and dangerous. You don't know where to run. If you think about it, we build our lives, quite literally, on the solidity and dependability of the ground on which we stand. We walk confidently, not cautiously, because we know that the ground will not disappear or move under our feet. We build homes of brick and mortar on ground that we know will support it. All of that comes tumbling down when the earth undergoes upheaval. For many around the world, the earth is shaking. We've experienced great upheaval in our lives and even as we seem to be settling into a "new normal" there is a great deal of uncertainty. Our nation is entering into the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic right now, just as many of us are tiring of the strict regulations and practices that have been put in place to reduce the risk and spread of the virus. There is a tension in the air, before the anticipated storm. This is uneasy ground upon which we tread. Where are we to turn in the midst of such uncertainty? The author of Hebrews writes the following beautiful words as he quotes from Psalm 102:25-27: “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,     and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain;     they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up,     like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same,     and your years will have no end.”   (Hebrews 1:10-12 ESV) In such times of uncertainty we can find comfort and assurance in the constancy of God. He is more solid and dependable than the earth on which we stand. He is the originator of all creation and He will endure when it all fades away. Through all the changes, the twists and turns of history, He remains the same. Not only is the Lord unchanging and enduring but so too is His word and therefore His promises to us (Isaiah 40:8; Matthew 24:35). I find comfort in this. I find a firm foundation in a time of shifting sand. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, if the virus will spread exponentially, if those I love will be harmed by its dreadful touch. I don't know what will happen to our precious nation. But I do know that God is good, that He loves us and has compassion on us. I do know that He alone holds the future. There is no…

Guest Post by Dave GriffithsA lot of people are asking, why is the world the way it is? What’s going on here? What on earth is God doing?  Of course, most of these people have never considered God before, but now, there is this terrible international crises, Corona, that is killing thousands daily across the world.At times like these, one can be tempted to doubt the love of God, when actually, an assurance of how much God does love us is what we need to carry us through this time.Whenever we are tempted to doubt God’s love, we should read John 17, slowly, listen to God talking to God, and thank Him for including us in the story of His glory. The glory of God is the display of His excellence. Jesus not only prayed for Himself, but also for His apostles and then for those of us who would believe in Him.The story of glory will go on forever. One day, we will personally beheld the glory of our Saviour, see the display of His excellence, and join the heavenly community of the family of God. Love to all God's people at New Harvest.Dave John 17: Jesus' Prayer After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.Jesus Prays for His Disciples6 “I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are…

by Calven Celliers Once a week I drop my boys off at our local tennis club for coaching. As I dropped them off one afternoon I noticed some graffiti on the wall of an electrical substation at the Recreation Center next door. Not only did it grab my attention, it got me thinking. In fact I took the photograph below with my phone when I went to fetch them, so that I would remember it for a sermon or a devotion or … a blog post one day. Little did I know at the time that it was in fact a famous quote by Voltaire, a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, and sadly his criticism of Christianity. So what did Monsieur Voltaire have to say? Now, regardless of what Voltaire might have initially been thinking when he first penned these words, let me share with you some related thoughts on the topic. You were saved to make a contribution. God designed you to make a difference with your life. In his letter to the Church at Ephesus the apostle Paul makes this statement: “10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10NIV) At first, what we read here might disconcert us. Hasn't Paul gone to great lengths to emphasize that our salvation is not by works? Why is he now saying that we have been created in Christ to do good works? Yes, our salvation does come by grace received through faith. We do not earn our salvation through anything we do, but this clearly doesn’t mean that good works don't matter or are unrelated to salvation. In fact, this passage makes it abundantly clear, salvation and good works are closely connected. Whilst good works don’t earn salvation, they do follow salvation. To put it differently, we are not saved by good works, but for good works. Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t just immediately take us to heaven the moment we accept His grace? Why does He leave us in a fallen world?  My suspicion is that salvation is not simply a ticket to heaven after death. Rather, salvation means being brought from death to life by the love and grace of God, through the saving work of Christ on the cross. And when we are saved into new life, we begin that life in the here and now, on this earth, in an altogether different way. At least that's God's plan for us. God prepared what He wants each one of us to do once we’ve surrendered to His lordship. He has a unique plan for each of us, as His ambassadors who serve Him in this world. This includes certain spiritual gifts and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to lead us to works that contribute to His restoration of the world; works that build up rather than break down, works that make our lives meaningful,…