Good day dear friends. We lift up Shirley Austin to your prayers. Right before going in to our worship service at 11, she slipped and fell, cut the back of her head and required seven stitches. She was taken to the ER and is now home and doing fine.
We had great fun in worship with the souper bowl offering. Thanks to all of you who supported our bishop's call to fight hunger. It was clear to see in both of the traditional services the Seahawks "won." We also were blessed by the over forty or so Scouts that we had in uniform for Scouting Sunday! If you had a chance to go to the Activity Center to see the pine wood derby you know there were over 100 people there for pizza and the race.
What's the Truth About Winning and should that be a concern for Christians? We studied how a believer possesses the promises of being "more than a conqueror" through Jesus Christ in whatever s/he faces in their life. We used two passages that we'll study today to see the checklists Paul used to show that even facing death, a believer does not despair or ever feel abandoned by God. "Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ Jesus."
Here is our study guide for today:
Monday: We had two powerful passages about winning during yesterday’s sermon. They’re found on the reverse side of this sermon guide. Read those two out loud. Let each word speak to you about who you are and in Whom you believe. Ours is a faith of hope and neverending life! Let this day serve as a day that helps you claim that for yourself.
Here are those passages:
2 Corinthians 4:8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.
Romans 8:35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
During the 11 o'clock service I used the story of Ruth to show how God didn't abandon her and used her as one of Jesus' ancestors, even though she was not Hebrew. A famine forced her future father-in-law to leave Judah to come to her country. While there Ruth marries one of his sons only to lose him ten years later. Naomi, Ruth's mother-in-law urges Ruth and Orpah to stay behind with their families while she returns home to Judah, but Ruth's new faith in Naomi's God allows her to make the decision to follow her and to make the declaration, "for where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God;" (Ruth 1:16). All the situations mentioned in that first chapter of Ruth could have made so many say, "I give up!" And that would put them in the "loser" category, but all had faith in God's leading. Their faith allowed a nonbeliever to make that declaration above, "your God (will be) my God." Are you living your faith in a way that calls others to believe? Are you "winning" at life in spite of all you've faced?
Look again at the verses and all that Paul mentions as a checklist of things he's faced.
Afflicted?______ Crushed? ______
Perplexed?______ Despair? ______
Persecuted______ Forsaken?______
Struck Down?______ Destroyed?______
In the above, even if you checked the first column you don't have to check the second one. For example, Paul says, "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;"
And in the second list, even if you check both columns you can still walk away saying, "Nothing separates me from Christ's love!"
Hardship?______ Distress? ______
Persecution?______ Famine?______
Nakedness?______ Peril? ______
Sword?______
And more importantly we say, with Paul's faith, "No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
Go out and win!
PRAYER: Dear God, we thank you for the victory that is ours in life, through Jesus Christ. May your blessing be upon those who feel unusually afflicted or oppressed or weak as they go through some struggles in their life. Comfort those who are feeling near despair. Speak lovingly to us so that we can share that with others. In Christ Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
