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Do you recognize the difference in simply talking about something and then doing what you are talking about? In others words walking the talk…the balance of word and deed in our Christian life.
The church is pretty good at talking. When we gather as the body of Christ, that’s kind of what we do. We talk about the word of God and the things of God…We talk to one another and we talk to Him. Even our singing is a verbal expression meant to encourage, inspire and motivate us. I love it. I think it is great. It’s powerful and I look forward to each time we gather. However, the church exists between gatherings. You and I are the church…the body of Christ…and we are reminded in 1 Corinthians 4:20: “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.” You see, the church itself cannot exist apart from God’s power. The Bible offers us examples of men and women who lived out their lives under God’s power. The greatest example we find is Jesus himself. He understood who He was and accepted the authority given to Him and He lived by God’s power. You may be thinking: But I’m not Jesus. True…yet, you have the power of Christ within you to live like Jesus…love like Jesus…and lead others to do the same. Bro. Joe Questions for Reflection:
This Week’s Suggested Readings: Sunday - 1 Corinthians 4:20 Monday -Philippians 2:6-11 Tuesday - John 17:1-3 Wednesday - Acts 1:8 Thursday - Matthew 28:18-20 Friday - Matthew 8 Saturday - Romans 10:9-10 Prayer Lord, I fight a daily battle of fully surrendering my life to you. I seem to try and take control of circumstances and situations instead of relying on your power and strength to see me through. Forgive me. Help me to learn through Jesus’ example of complete and total trust in your power to see Him all the way to the cross. There truly is nothing that I will face that you can’t see me through. Lord, I want to live by your power. Amen
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 What is your level of pain?
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 ”even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” In the medical world, you may see this statement in clinics and hospitals: “You have the right to pain management.” In the spiritual world, we better understand that pain management in life is a gift…it is the sufficiency of God’s grace. Bro. Joe Questions for Reflection:
This Week’s Suggested Readings: Sunday - John 16:33 Monday - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Tuesday - Psalms 34:18 Wednesday - Matthew 4:23-25 Thursday - 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 Friday - Hebrews 12:1-11 Saturday - Psalm 91 Prayer Lord, thank you for the sufficiency of your grace in my life. Help me to reflect your glory by relying on your grace no matter what comes my way. Amen Can people tell where you’re from when they hear you talk? Does your accent give you away? Over time, our accents tend to adapt to where we are living as well as to those with whom we live.
Does your accent reflect where you are living? The Bible says that as a born again believer you are a citizen of heaven where the Lord Jesus lives. Spiritually you have experienced a new birth and a new life that has been planned out for you by God himself. “You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.” Psalms 139:16 NLT Shouldn't our language reflect a heavenly accent…shouldn't the way we live our lives set us apart from those who are simply living a worldly existence? Jesus prayed this prayer for you and me. “I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.” John 17:15-18 NLT Let others see Jesus in you by the things you say and the way you live. Bro. Joe Questions for Reflection:
This Week’s Suggested Readings: Sunday - John 3:1-17 Monday -Psalm 139-13-18 Tuesday - Philippians 3:20 Wednesday - Colossians 3:1-3 Thursday - Hebrews 10:10, 14 Friday - 1 Colossians 3:12-17 Saturday - John 17:13-19 Prayer Lord, may the words of my heart reflect the accent of heaven, and may my life magnify the spirit that is within me. Let others see Jesus in me. Amen "And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father…Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” Colossians 3:17, 23-24
Do you do everything as if you are doing it for the Lord? How does stopping and realizing who it is that you represent affect your actions in the work place…in your home…with friends and family? Just think how different this week would be if we all approached every aspect of our lives as representatives of the Lord Jesus. God has called you to serve Him, and He has gifted you to accomplish everything He asks. When God asks you to do something, He will give you the ability to do it. Once you know what He wants you to do, do it as if you are doing it for Him…because you are. Bro. Joe Questions for Reflection:
This Week’s Suggested Readings: Sunday - 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 Monday - 2 Peter 1:3-11 Tuesday - Romans 11:29 Wednesday - Colossians 3:16-17 Thursday - Colossians 3:23-24 Friday - 1 Corinthians 12:4-31 Saturday - 1 Timothy 3:1-13 Prayer Lord, thank you for calling me into a saving relationship with you and allowing me to serve you in my church. Thank you for gifting me with the ability to accomplish your will. Father, I desire to bring honor to your name with my service and my life. Amen. Today we are preparing as a church to make a very important decision: We will be selecting 3 men from our church to serve as Deacons alongside the 5 men already serving: Carl Craft, Shelby Colson, Jerry Craft, Kirby Craft and Ron Moseley.
I want to encourage each of you to be praying over the next couple of weeks, asking for the Lord’s direction as to who it is that He wants to serve as our new deacons. We will be looking at what God has to say about the responsibility of these servant leaders and seeking God’s direction for our church. So, what is a servant leader? Jesus helps us to truly understand this concept through word and deed. “Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:43-45 Jesus is the ultimate example of a servant leader that we should all be following. Bro. Joe Questions for Reflection:
This Week’s Suggested Readings: Sunday - Acts 6:1-7 Monday - Acts 6:8-15 Tuesday - Acts 7:1-29 Wednesday - Acts 7:30-50 Thursday - Acts 7:51-59 Friday - 2 Timothy 3:1-13 Saturday - Matthew 23:11-12 Prayer Father, thank you for the men that you have placed in leadership as deacons at Dry Creek. Thank you for blessing us with Carl Craft, Shelby Colson, Jerry Craft, Kirby Craft and Ron Moseley. Lord, give these men wisdom and fill them with your Spirit. Show me who you want to serve alongside these men as new deacons. Thank you for blessing our church with your presence. Guard our hearts, minds and spirits as we seek to follow you. Amen. How do you handle loss? How do you handle grief? How about difficulties or troubled times? Have you ever felt as if you had lost all hope?
Did you know that hope is never lost? As children of God, we have met hope…we know hope…we have experienced hope. Hope is more than a thought, emotion or attitude. Hope is a person. Hope is Jesus. You can’t lose Jesus. You can turn your back on Him…you can ignore Him…you can think more about yourself than about Him, but you can’t lose Him. Because He’s persistent…He’s faithful…He’s loving…He’s caring…He’s always with you wherever you go. You simply can’t lose Him…therefore, you can’t lose hope. Remember “Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, “The LORD is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” Lamentations 3:21-24 Experience the new mercies of God in your life today. Bro. Joe Questions for Reflection:
This Week’s Suggested Readings: Sunday - Lamentations 3:20-27 Monday - Psalm 37:1-10 Tuesday - Matthew 6:19-34 Wednesday - Jeremiah 29:13-14 Thursday - Romans 8:35-39 Friday - Psalm 136 Saturday - Matthew 11:28-30 Prayer Father, thank you for the fresh supply of grace and mercy that you provide for me each day. Lord, I don’t deserve what you give me…that’s your grace. Thank you. The punishment I deserve, you withheld…that’s your mercy. And it’s all made possible through your Son…my Savior…my redeemer. Thank you for loving me as you do. Amen. Are you prepared to have an encounter with your Lord this morning? Are you ready to hear what God wants to say to you?
Isn’t it absolutely incredible to think that we have the privilege and honor of entering into the very presence of God, creator of all the universe? And the best part is that He wants to meet with us. God has promised in His word “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” That is absolutely the best thing about going to church…God is always there. God is powerfully involved in every single worship gathering. The question isn’t whether “God will show up,” but whether WE will show up with our hearts prepared and minds tuned into what God is doing. If we’re not tuned in, we can miss Him altogether. I invite you to come together as the family of God with a sincere heart…a trusting heart…a humble heart…and a clean heart. If you do, this is what you’ll discover: the very heart of God in your worship. I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be. Bro. Joe Questions for Reflection:
This Week’s Suggested Readings: Sunday - Hebrews 10:19-25 Monday - Isaiah 6:1-8 Tuesday - Exodus 33:12-23 Wednesday - Jeremiah 29:11-13 Thursday - Psalm 5:7-8 Friday - Psalm 86 Saturday - 1 Timothy 6:11-16 Prayer God, help me to bring my full attention to you today. Remove the distractions and barriers stopping me from finding peace and hope in your presence. Lord, help me to have perseverance in my focus on you. Please give me the insight and courage to continuously step past the attacks on my focus. Help me to always return my thoughts to your presence. Let us, as it is written in Hebrews, “hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise.” Amen. If you knew there was something that would improve the quality of your life…that would provide direction and guidance throughout your life…that would even give you the power to live your life in the best way possible, wouldn’t it be something worth pursuing.
The Word of God is … …your personal guide to living life …a love letter from God Himself …your power source to overcome the evil in this world …a book of promises from your Creator …a way to deepen your knowledge & understanding of God’s plan for you When we stop and realize all that the Bible has to offer, you would think we would all be driven to read it, study it and share it. Would you be willing to make an honest evaluation of how well you access and utilize the power of God’s Word in your life? Is there room for improvement? What 3 things could you do that would help you better access the power of God’s Word in your life? 1. 2. 3. Are you willing to commit to what God might reveal to you today? Bro. Joe Questions for Reflection:
This Week’s Suggested Readings: Sunday - Hebrews 4:12-13 Monday - Psalm 139:1-18 Tuesday - Ephesians 6:10-18 Wednesday - Psalm 119:9-16 Thursday - Matthew 4:1-11 Friday - John 1:1-5 Saturday - Luke 11:28, 1 Peter 1:21-25 Lord, burn within me a desire to please you…to know you…to better understand your ways. Father, I have been living under my own power and strength for far too long…I want to live under your power by living my life according to your Word. Show me your ways. Amen The following passages of scripture are a few of God’s promises worth committing to memory, or at the very least worth writing down and carrying with you all the time.
Isaiah 41:10 - "Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand." Philippians 4:19 - "And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." 2 Corinthians 9:8 - "And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others." Hebrews 13:5-6 -"For God has said, “I will never fail you.I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The LORD is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”" Psalms 84:11 - "For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right." Psalm 23:6 - "Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever." James 4:7 -"So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." 2 Corinthians 12:9 - "Each time he said,“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me." Bro. Joe Questions for Reflection:
This Week’s Suggested Readings: Monday - Psalm 73:23-26 Tuesday - Philippians 4:13 Wednesday - Psalm 46 Thursday - Romans 8:38-39 Friday - 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Saturday - Hebrews 13:5-6 Lord, in my own strength I am nothing. I am trusting in your strength to sustain me, guide me, and to fulfill your promises in my life. Thank you Lord Jesus for "I love you, LORD; you are my strength.” Psalms 18:1 Amen What are your expectations when you come to church?
Are you looking for something? Answers to questions…perhaps looking for comfort…for peace; or are you just going to church? Think about it, do you have expectations of God? I believe we all should come into the presence of God with a sense of great expectation. It kind of changes our perspective when we think in terms of coming to meet with God…the creator of all things…the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord’s. I also believe that God has great expectations of us. “…O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 Bro. Joe Questions for Reflection:
This Week’s Suggested Readings: Sunday - 1 Peter 1:3 Monday - Matthew 5:1-12 Tuesday - Matthew 22:37-38 Wednesday - Psalm 32 Thursday - Proverbs 3:5-6 Friday - John 15:1-17 Saturday - 1 John 2:1-6 Lord, thank you for the opportunities to meet with you…to talk to you…to worship you. Father, help me to better understand and embrace a life that reflects your expectations. Thank you for providing what I need through your Word to know what you desire of me as I live my life for you. Give me the wisdom to see what needs to change…the courage to act on what I see…and the strength to follow through. In Jesus name… Amen |
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