Good day dear friends.
As we pray this morning let us lift up the family of The Reverend Dr. Bill Hinson, retired pastor from First UMC Houston. Bill was a friend of mine as we both served on the Asbury Seminary board. We were together not too long ago for the Inaguration of President Jeff Greenway. Bill was a true man of God who loved Jesus and preached Him lovingly.
PRAYER: God of life we thank you for those precious lives that have blessed us. Among those we lift up the memory of Bill Hinson for his tireless service to You and Your people. Bring comfort and healing to his wife, children and grandchildren. Be with all today who mourn. We pray a special blessing on those who lost loves ones in the earthquakes in Asia. Be with those who are already there working to mend the area, but You are the only one who can mend hearts and spirits. Be with us as we seek meaning for our lives as we study Your word. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: How much do you know about angels? The urgent command to leave for Egypt was conveyed to Joseph by an angel. In your daily life, how have or do you hear from God? How would your spouse respond to your claim that God is asking you to leave something or do something? What would s/he say if you said, “An angel of the Lord told me....” What are your angel stories?
The Bible mentions angels as messengers and unseen workers of the Lord. The most oft quoted passage about angels comes from Psalm 91: "9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, 10 no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. 12 On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone." In fact, Satan quoted it to Jesus after our Lord's forty days of fasting. And in that same story as found in Matthew 4 it says that "angels came and waited" on Jesus. Angels are creatures of God. We see them performing worship tasks in Isaiah 6 and we heard about them in this week's passage warning Joseph and convincing him to marry Mary and we saw archangels preparing Mary and Zechariah for their heavenly tasks. It wasn't too long ago there was an almost national craze about angels and folks devoting themselves to icons and pins, posters, etc. about angels. The warning for some is that we cannot and should NOT worship the creation of God. The only one worthy of our worship is God.
The question for today is, how do you listen for God in your daily life? Is God's voice loud and clear? Some would say, "I've never heard God!" And these might be the same who don't take time to pray or read the Scriptures. God speaks through our prayer after we say Amen. God speaks through our reading of scriptures as we hear each word coming from God and speaking to our needs. Sometimes God uses US, yes us, to speak His word to some. Sometimes unexplainable things happen and if we just stop and pray and reflect we'll say, oh, I understand what God was saying! If we strive to be connected to God, God will connect with us and we'll hear his message to us.
As to what your spouse would say, that's your story.....
PRAYER: God speak to us in loud and loving ways so that we can know what it is we should be and do. Bless all who have read this message with a full and deeper meaning of Your love and purpose and speak to those who should read this. We pray in Christ Jesus' name. Amen.
