Good day dear friends.
Friday: This is our day of prayer.. Pray again for the things we mentioned for Wednesday.
Wednesday: For our day of prayer and purpose, we will be praying for the spiritually mature. Ask that God would keep them strong, that their prayers might remain faithful to God and to God’s church. Also, please be in prayer for those who are spiritually immature. Ask that God might touch their hearts and make them more mature. Pray that God would bring more to God’s church that would begin their journey of spiritual maturity.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
e.v.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
A MATURE WALK WITH GOD
Good day dear friends.
Here is our study guide for today: Thursday: Luke 8:4-21 shares one of Jesus’ greatest parables. Read that parable and note the reference to maturity. What causes maturity? How can you grow to be more mature in your faith? Reread the passage and note where you find yourself and where you know God wants you to be.
Here is the passage from Luke 8:4 When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5 "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. 7 Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. 8 Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold." As he said this, he called out, "Let anyone with ears to hear listen!" 9 Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that "looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.' 11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. 14 As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance. 16 "No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. 18 Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away." 19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." 21 But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
To mature in faith means to trust God more. The parable tells the story of those who hear the word of God and different things occur: temptation that leads us astray to nonbelief; joyful reception of God's word at first then life's trials come and they fall away; the lure of earthly riches and pleasures keeps faith from maturing. It also tells of those who hear, hold to it "fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance." Hear that again: If we hold fast or tight to God's word with an honest and good heart we will mature and we will bear fruit with patient endurance.
PRAYER: We thank you loving God for Your word. My prayer is that I would be open to hearing it and receiving it for my good and the good of Your people. I pray for maturity in my walk with You. Help me to help others. Let my life be an example to others. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Here is our study guide for today: Thursday: Luke 8:4-21 shares one of Jesus’ greatest parables. Read that parable and note the reference to maturity. What causes maturity? How can you grow to be more mature in your faith? Reread the passage and note where you find yourself and where you know God wants you to be.
Here is the passage from Luke 8:4 When a great crowd gathered and people from town after town came to him, he said in a parable: 5 "A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell on the path and was trampled on, and the birds of the air ate it up. 6 Some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered for lack of moisture. 7 Some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it. 8 Some fell into good soil, and when it grew, it produced a hundredfold." As he said this, he called out, "Let anyone with ears to hear listen!" 9 Then his disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that "looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.' 11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 The ones on the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 The ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe only for a while and in a time of testing fall away. 14 As for what fell among the thorns, these are the ones who hear; but as they go on their way, they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. 15 But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance. 16 "No one after lighting a lamp hides it under a jar, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand, so that those who enter may see the light. 17 For nothing is hidden that will not be disclosed, nor is anything secret that will not become known and come to light. 18 Then pay attention to how you listen; for to those who have, more will be given; and from those who do not have, even what they seem to have will be taken away." 19 Then his mother and his brothers came to him, but they could not reach him because of the crowd. 20 And he was told, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you." 21 But he said to them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it."
To mature in faith means to trust God more. The parable tells the story of those who hear the word of God and different things occur: temptation that leads us astray to nonbelief; joyful reception of God's word at first then life's trials come and they fall away; the lure of earthly riches and pleasures keeps faith from maturing. It also tells of those who hear, hold to it "fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance." Hear that again: If we hold fast or tight to God's word with an honest and good heart we will mature and we will bear fruit with patient endurance.
PRAYER: We thank you loving God for Your word. My prayer is that I would be open to hearing it and receiving it for my good and the good of Your people. I pray for maturity in my walk with You. Help me to help others. Let my life be an example to others. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Good day dear friends.
We continue to study immaturity in the church and the impact it can have. Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Please find the passage in Luke 2:41-52, read there about a young boy who showed great spiritual maturity. What do you suppose made the young boy so mature? Can we compare ourselves to that young boy? Why or why not?
Here is the Luke 2:41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." 49 He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
It was the duty of those who could afford to take their male children to the Temple on their 12th birthday. Jesus was no exception. Given the certain special and unique instruction His mother had given Him, Jesus knew His relationship to God to be very special. Considered to be an adult because of this birthday, He was taken to the Temple to participate in worship and all that was involved at that point of his life. But Jesus used this occasion to learn more about God, asking all He could think of to find out more about God from the teachers who were trained to instruct. Jesus demonstrated great spiritual maturity for his age.
Can we compare ourselves to Jesus? Of course. That is our calling. Ours should be a willingness and desire to learn all we can about our Heavenly Father as well. Ours should be the desire to grow spiritually each day, realizing that sanctifying grace is that journey of growth that God grants us precisely for that purpose. Use this day to prayerfully ask the Lord to help you grow in your devotion to Him.
PRAYER: Loving God of all grace, we thank You for the spiritual journey that is sanctifying grace. Help me to grow like never before in the image and likeness of Jesus. Help me to learn more about You and Your love for me. Grant me maturity to help others around me. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We continue to study immaturity in the church and the impact it can have. Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Please find the passage in Luke 2:41-52, read there about a young boy who showed great spiritual maturity. What do you suppose made the young boy so mature? Can we compare ourselves to that young boy? Why or why not?
Here is the Luke 2:41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." 49 He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
It was the duty of those who could afford to take their male children to the Temple on their 12th birthday. Jesus was no exception. Given the certain special and unique instruction His mother had given Him, Jesus knew His relationship to God to be very special. Considered to be an adult because of this birthday, He was taken to the Temple to participate in worship and all that was involved at that point of his life. But Jesus used this occasion to learn more about God, asking all He could think of to find out more about God from the teachers who were trained to instruct. Jesus demonstrated great spiritual maturity for his age.
Can we compare ourselves to Jesus? Of course. That is our calling. Ours should be a willingness and desire to learn all we can about our Heavenly Father as well. Ours should be the desire to grow spiritually each day, realizing that sanctifying grace is that journey of growth that God grants us precisely for that purpose. Use this day to prayerfully ask the Lord to help you grow in your devotion to Him.
PRAYER: Loving God of all grace, we thank You for the spiritual journey that is sanctifying grace. Help me to grow like never before in the image and likeness of Jesus. Help me to learn more about You and Your love for me. Grant me maturity to help others around me. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Good day dear friends.
We continue to study immaturity in the church and the impact it can have. Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Please find the passage in Luke 2:41-52, read there about a young boy who showed great spiritual maturity. What do you suppose made the young boy so mature? Can we compare ourselves to that young boy? Why or why not?
Here is the Luke 2:41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." 49 He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
It was the duty of those who could afford to take their male children to the Temple on their 12th birthday. Jesus was no exception. Given the certain special and unique instruction His mother had given Him, Jesus knew His relationship to God to be very special. Considered to be an adult because of this birthday, He was taken to the Temple to participate in worship and all that was involved at that point of his life. But Jesus used this occasion to learn more about God, asking all He could think of to find out more about God from the teachers who were trained to instruct. Jesus demonstrated great spiritual maturity for his age.
Can we compare ourselves to Jesus? Of course. That is our calling. Ours should be a willingness and desire to learn all we can about our Heavenly Father as well. Ours should be the desire to grow spiritually each day, realizing that sanctifying grace is that journey of growth that God grants us precisely for that purpose. Use this day to prayerfully ask the Lord to help you grow in your devotion to Him.
PRAYER: Loving God of all grace, we thank You for the spiritual journey that is sanctifying grace. Help me to grow like never before in the image and likeness of Jesus. Help me to learn more about You and Your love for me. Grant me maturity to help others around me. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We continue to study immaturity in the church and the impact it can have. Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: Please find the passage in Luke 2:41-52, read there about a young boy who showed great spiritual maturity. What do you suppose made the young boy so mature? Can we compare ourselves to that young boy? Why or why not?
Here is the Luke 2:41 Now every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. 43 When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day's journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." 49 He said to them, "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51 Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.
It was the duty of those who could afford to take their male children to the Temple on their 12th birthday. Jesus was no exception. Given the certain special and unique instruction His mother had given Him, Jesus knew His relationship to God to be very special. Considered to be an adult because of this birthday, He was taken to the Temple to participate in worship and all that was involved at that point of his life. But Jesus used this occasion to learn more about God, asking all He could think of to find out more about God from the teachers who were trained to instruct. Jesus demonstrated great spiritual maturity for his age.
Can we compare ourselves to Jesus? Of course. That is our calling. Ours should be a willingness and desire to learn all we can about our Heavenly Father as well. Ours should be the desire to grow spiritually each day, realizing that sanctifying grace is that journey of growth that God grants us precisely for that purpose. Use this day to prayerfully ask the Lord to help you grow in your devotion to Him.
PRAYER: Loving God of all grace, we thank You for the spiritual journey that is sanctifying grace. Help me to grow like never before in the image and likeness of Jesus. Help me to learn more about You and Your love for me. Grant me maturity to help others around me. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Monday, September 25, 2006
THE NEWNESS OF GOD EACH DAY
Good day dear friends.
Yesterday we studied what Paul called immaturity in the 3rd chapter of 1 Corinthians. Paul's desire was to speak with mature Christians but instead found them still filled with jealousy and quarreling over who was better because of baptism. He called them infants, still in the flesh. Our sermon centered on growing in the Lord and I shared Wesley's idea of grace: prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying. I shared with the congregation a chart of characteristics found in different stage of spiritual maturity, and folks could chart their growth alongside this chart.
Here is our study guide for today: Monday: Please read the story of a mother and her child as found in 1 Samuel 1. Pay close attention to verses 19-28. What are your thoughts on a mother, who prayed for a child for so long, to finally have one only to return him to the Lord? Would you have done the same thing? Read 1 Sam. 3. It is said the boy was “ministering.” How would you rate the child in terms of his spiritual maturity?
Here is that passage from 1 Samuel 1:19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him." 21 When Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, 22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always." 23 "Do what seems best to you," her husband Elkanah told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word." So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him. 24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. 25 When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, "Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord." And he worshiped the Lord there.
This first passage tells of Hannah's devotion to God in asking for and receiving a son. Once she had him, she named him Samuel and presented him to the Lord so that he could live there and minister to the Lord. In chapter 3 we find these words, "1 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." 5 And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. 6 Again the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 A third time the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
For Samuel to find himself in the house of Eli, the prophet of God, must have been something of an adventure. He learned from Eli all that he should do and he was a willing servant. It must have seemed innocent enough to hear his name called in the middle of the night, so he rose and ran to see what Eli wanted. The old man tells him that he did not call him and for him to get back to bed. A second and third time the Lord called Samuel again, and it was on that third time that Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy and gave Samuel the instructions for how he should respond to this call. "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
It was the commitment of his mother and his own personal commitment to God, that allowed the boy Samuel to hear this first prophetic message from the Lord regarding God's people. Age was not a factor, a willingness to grow spiritually was. Though the boy was just 12 according to some writers, he was willing to explore what God said and was open to God's leading. What Paul encountered in Corinth is what we sometimes encounter in churches today; folks not willing to grow, folks stuck where they feel comfortable in all aspects of worship, prayer, Sunday school, giving, leading, etc. The newness and the reality of God grows stale because it is done almost without thinking; it is simply something we do every Sunday, this goes here and then comes this, let's go home. Paul wanted, as God does, those who come and expectantly say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
PRAYER: Come, living God and speak to me, for I am listening. Let me be open to Your voice each and every day. Let my Sunday experience be that which brings newness of life to me each day. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Yesterday we studied what Paul called immaturity in the 3rd chapter of 1 Corinthians. Paul's desire was to speak with mature Christians but instead found them still filled with jealousy and quarreling over who was better because of baptism. He called them infants, still in the flesh. Our sermon centered on growing in the Lord and I shared Wesley's idea of grace: prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying. I shared with the congregation a chart of characteristics found in different stage of spiritual maturity, and folks could chart their growth alongside this chart.
Here is our study guide for today: Monday: Please read the story of a mother and her child as found in 1 Samuel 1. Pay close attention to verses 19-28. What are your thoughts on a mother, who prayed for a child for so long, to finally have one only to return him to the Lord? Would you have done the same thing? Read 1 Sam. 3. It is said the boy was “ministering.” How would you rate the child in terms of his spiritual maturity?
Here is that passage from 1 Samuel 1:19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the Lord for him." 21 When Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, 22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always." 23 "Do what seems best to you," her husband Elkanah told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word." So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him. 24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. 25 When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, "Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord." And he worshiped the Lord there.
This first passage tells of Hannah's devotion to God in asking for and receiving a son. Once she had him, she named him Samuel and presented him to the Lord so that he could live there and minister to the Lord. In chapter 3 we find these words, "1 The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." 5 And he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." But Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." So he went and lay down. 6 Again the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." "My son," Eli said, "I did not call; go back and lie down." 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. 8 A third time the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."
For Samuel to find himself in the house of Eli, the prophet of God, must have been something of an adventure. He learned from Eli all that he should do and he was a willing servant. It must have seemed innocent enough to hear his name called in the middle of the night, so he rose and ran to see what Eli wanted. The old man tells him that he did not call him and for him to get back to bed. A second and third time the Lord called Samuel again, and it was on that third time that Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy and gave Samuel the instructions for how he should respond to this call. "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
It was the commitment of his mother and his own personal commitment to God, that allowed the boy Samuel to hear this first prophetic message from the Lord regarding God's people. Age was not a factor, a willingness to grow spiritually was. Though the boy was just 12 according to some writers, he was willing to explore what God said and was open to God's leading. What Paul encountered in Corinth is what we sometimes encounter in churches today; folks not willing to grow, folks stuck where they feel comfortable in all aspects of worship, prayer, Sunday school, giving, leading, etc. The newness and the reality of God grows stale because it is done almost without thinking; it is simply something we do every Sunday, this goes here and then comes this, let's go home. Paul wanted, as God does, those who come and expectantly say, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."
PRAYER: Come, living God and speak to me, for I am listening. Let me be open to Your voice each and every day. Let my Sunday experience be that which brings newness of life to me each day. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Friday, September 22, 2006
OUR DAY OF PRAYER
Good day dear friends.
Today is our day of prayer. Here is our study guide as well as a
prayer for the congregation which can work in your congregation as
well if you're not from FUMC-SM.
Friday: This is our day of prayer.. Pray again for the things we
mentioned for Wednesday. It is so important for the churches of
Jesus Christ to stay focused and relevant to the needs of a hurting
world. Be a part of those who seek to bring healing to God's people.
A PRAYER FOR THE CONGREGATION:
Lord, raise up more praying people within our congregation and
strengthen Pastor Eradio and Pastor Leslie in their service to You.
We pray Your shepherds will tend Your lambs with love and
forgiveness. We ask that our Congregation give back love and
forgiveness to them. We ask that each member of our church would be
supportive of our pastors, recognizing their humanity by not preying
upon their time needlessly and helping them wherever we can. May
each member recognize our pastors as Your servants whom You have
called. May no word of criticism or false accusation be brought
against Pastor Eradio or Pastor Leslie, the servants You have chosen
to shepherd our church. We recognize the church budget as a major
concern for our pastors and ask that each member be faithful in
tithing. We ask that You bless our congregation with cheerful
hearts in giving. We ask for our congregation to be open to change
in order that we may grow in our worship experience and draw closer
to You. We ask that First UMC be a church give over to prayer in
all things. In Jesus' name, Amen.
-- "Storming Heaven's Gates" Sunday school class prayer.
Today is our day of prayer. Here is our study guide as well as a
prayer for the congregation which can work in your congregation as
well if you're not from FUMC-SM.
Friday: This is our day of prayer.. Pray again for the things we
mentioned for Wednesday. It is so important for the churches of
Jesus Christ to stay focused and relevant to the needs of a hurting
world. Be a part of those who seek to bring healing to God's people.
A PRAYER FOR THE CONGREGATION:
Lord, raise up more praying people within our congregation and
strengthen Pastor Eradio and Pastor Leslie in their service to You.
We pray Your shepherds will tend Your lambs with love and
forgiveness. We ask that our Congregation give back love and
forgiveness to them. We ask that each member of our church would be
supportive of our pastors, recognizing their humanity by not preying
upon their time needlessly and helping them wherever we can. May
each member recognize our pastors as Your servants whom You have
called. May no word of criticism or false accusation be brought
against Pastor Eradio or Pastor Leslie, the servants You have chosen
to shepherd our church. We recognize the church budget as a major
concern for our pastors and ask that each member be faithful in
tithing. We ask that You bless our congregation with cheerful
hearts in giving. We ask for our congregation to be open to change
in order that we may grow in our worship experience and draw closer
to You. We ask that First UMC be a church give over to prayer in
all things. In Jesus' name, Amen.
-- "Storming Heaven's Gates" Sunday school class prayer.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
GOD SHOWS NO PARTIALITY, WHY SHOULD WE?
Good day dear friends.
We continue to affirm the unity of Christ in His church, remembering we were baptized in His name, for His service; not ours, nor any others.
Here is our study guide for today:
Thursday: In James 2:1-7, the apostle shares some clear instructions on showing partiality towards personalities. Please read the passage and see how that message still holds true today. Apply it to your life if necessary.
Here is the James passage: 1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor person in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the one wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the one who is poor, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
James has gone from preaching to meddling. James should know how much we value the rich, doesn't he? Isn't our heart thrilled when a finely dressed couple enters our church doors on Sunday? Don't we greet them with a special greeting reserved just for them? We believe they could be bringing a great blessing, don't we? (Hint: If they join the church, they could become tithers, right?) But we don't waste our time with those who come in filthy old clothes. What good could they possibly be bringing to us? We don't quite sit them on the floor anymore, but we hope they sit away from "the good people" so they won't offend anyone!
Friends, James was hitting the nail right on the head. Though I wrote the above tongue-in-cheek, some folks do act the way I described above, and that is wrong. James believes that God wants us to welcome all people regardless of how they're dressed or how much money we think they have. We never know at first glance what lasting blessing they could be bringing to the kingdom of God. And James further reminds us of the place the poor have always had and will continue to have in God's eyes. Our job is to welcome them all and to make them all feel welcome in God's house.
Sociologists used to say that 11 o'clock Sunday morning was the most segregated hour in America. While that still holds true for some churches, for many others, thank God, it is changing. We cannot imagine Heaven as being a segregated place, nor do we want it to be. What are we doing on our part, to help ensure that worship times are inclusive times for all?
PRAYER: God of all people, visit our hearts so that we might be loving and inviting people to all people. Grant us wisdom to see beyond exteriors of folks, to see in others those who are and could be our brothers and sisters in Christ. You show no partiality to persons, make us the same. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We continue to affirm the unity of Christ in His church, remembering we were baptized in His name, for His service; not ours, nor any others.
Here is our study guide for today:
Thursday: In James 2:1-7, the apostle shares some clear instructions on showing partiality towards personalities. Please read the passage and see how that message still holds true today. Apply it to your life if necessary.
Here is the James passage: 1 My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose someone comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor person in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the one wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the one who is poor, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
James has gone from preaching to meddling. James should know how much we value the rich, doesn't he? Isn't our heart thrilled when a finely dressed couple enters our church doors on Sunday? Don't we greet them with a special greeting reserved just for them? We believe they could be bringing a great blessing, don't we? (Hint: If they join the church, they could become tithers, right?) But we don't waste our time with those who come in filthy old clothes. What good could they possibly be bringing to us? We don't quite sit them on the floor anymore, but we hope they sit away from "the good people" so they won't offend anyone!
Friends, James was hitting the nail right on the head. Though I wrote the above tongue-in-cheek, some folks do act the way I described above, and that is wrong. James believes that God wants us to welcome all people regardless of how they're dressed or how much money we think they have. We never know at first glance what lasting blessing they could be bringing to the kingdom of God. And James further reminds us of the place the poor have always had and will continue to have in God's eyes. Our job is to welcome them all and to make them all feel welcome in God's house.
Sociologists used to say that 11 o'clock Sunday morning was the most segregated hour in America. While that still holds true for some churches, for many others, thank God, it is changing. We cannot imagine Heaven as being a segregated place, nor do we want it to be. What are we doing on our part, to help ensure that worship times are inclusive times for all?
PRAYER: God of all people, visit our hearts so that we might be loving and inviting people to all people. Grant us wisdom to see beyond exteriors of folks, to see in others those who are and could be our brothers and sisters in Christ. You show no partiality to persons, make us the same. We pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
OUR DAY OF PRAYER AND PURPOSE
Good day dear friends.
Here is our guide for today:
Wednesday: For our day of prayer and purpose, let us be in prayer for all the churches of our community. Pray that their mission of sharing God’s love would remain their top focus. Pray that each individual member would put God first in his or her life and live and give a life that reflects a deep and true commitment to God. For many of our SM churches, given their age, they can become simply a continued social center instead of a spiritual center. Pray that God would bring revival to all churches!
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Here is our guide for today:
Wednesday: For our day of prayer and purpose, let us be in prayer for all the churches of our community. Pray that their mission of sharing God’s love would remain their top focus. Pray that each individual member would put God first in his or her life and live and give a life that reflects a deep and true commitment to God. For many of our SM churches, given their age, they can become simply a continued social center instead of a spiritual center. Pray that God would bring revival to all churches!
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
OUR PRIORITIES
Good day dear friends. The funeral for Bro. Lou Moloney will be Saturday at 10 a.m. at First UMC of SM. This devotional comes a bit late as I visited Bobby Gill who underwent surgery this morning. I did not get to see him, but prayed with Cora Sue. Then I drove to New Braunfels to visit the Moloney family. Then Nellie and I drove to Kerrville where I led a group of about 45 in Bible study. We will be here until Thursday.
We continue to affirm unity in Christ, with the goal of sharing the Good News with all.
Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: The vision of any church should include a clear sense of personal priorities for the Lord Jesus Christ. Read the story of what one told Jesus in Luke 9:57-62. Apply that to your life.
Here is the Luke passage: 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
Oh to follow Christ requires much. So many want to follow Him but whenever anything else comes along many will give in to that and choose that. In this passage you say, a family obligation is more important! The traditional understanding might be that this young man wanted to follow Jesus but had a funeral to attend. William Barclay in his commentary on this passage says this was a familiar saying for those who had to fulfill all of the family's obligations, such as running the family business or working the family farm, until the father died. Jesus Himself didn't begin His ministry until after Joseph died and that's why we believe He was 30 years old at that time. Families are important, no question about it, and rank as one of our most important charges from God, but when they take the place of God in our heart, that is when we have problems.
Our obligation is to trust God that God will care for our families in whatever undertaking we may be asked to do. And this does not come easily, but through much prayer and faith and trusting and walking with God. Not everyone will be asked to leave his or her family, but those who are, will learn to trust God in those cases. Your call may involve a night away or a Sunday away from loved ones, but God is with you and your family. This afternoon we were talking in our Bible study class about those whom we admire for their spiritual maturity and one woman said her son, who happens to be a member of the Mormons. I said I admired that their young people were once required to give two years of their lives to mission outreach immediately after high school. I asked the class what would happen to the UMC if we required the same. I then said we can't even compete with soccer practice, even in some cases, on a Sunday. The church is called to look closely and prayerfully at God's call on our priorities.
Where are you?
PRAYER: God, You're always there for me. I'm sorry I'm barely there for You. Forgive me. Let me give myself completely to You and what You ask of me. I pray that I might be faithful to all You has asked. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We continue to affirm unity in Christ, with the goal of sharing the Good News with all.
Here is our study guide for today:
Tuesday: The vision of any church should include a clear sense of personal priorities for the Lord Jesus Christ. Read the story of what one told Jesus in Luke 9:57-62. Apply that to your life.
Here is the Luke passage: 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." 58 And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." 59 To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." 60 But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." 61 Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home." 62 Jesus said to him, "No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God."
Oh to follow Christ requires much. So many want to follow Him but whenever anything else comes along many will give in to that and choose that. In this passage you say, a family obligation is more important! The traditional understanding might be that this young man wanted to follow Jesus but had a funeral to attend. William Barclay in his commentary on this passage says this was a familiar saying for those who had to fulfill all of the family's obligations, such as running the family business or working the family farm, until the father died. Jesus Himself didn't begin His ministry until after Joseph died and that's why we believe He was 30 years old at that time. Families are important, no question about it, and rank as one of our most important charges from God, but when they take the place of God in our heart, that is when we have problems.
Our obligation is to trust God that God will care for our families in whatever undertaking we may be asked to do. And this does not come easily, but through much prayer and faith and trusting and walking with God. Not everyone will be asked to leave his or her family, but those who are, will learn to trust God in those cases. Your call may involve a night away or a Sunday away from loved ones, but God is with you and your family. This afternoon we were talking in our Bible study class about those whom we admire for their spiritual maturity and one woman said her son, who happens to be a member of the Mormons. I said I admired that their young people were once required to give two years of their lives to mission outreach immediately after high school. I asked the class what would happen to the UMC if we required the same. I then said we can't even compete with soccer practice, even in some cases, on a Sunday. The church is called to look closely and prayerfully at God's call on our priorities.
Where are you?
PRAYER: God, You're always there for me. I'm sorry I'm barely there for You. Forgive me. Let me give myself completely to You and what You ask of me. I pray that I might be faithful to all You has asked. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Monday, September 18, 2006
A FULL HOUSE
Good day dear friends.
Yesterday we started a new series entitled, "1st Century Christians with 21st Century Problems: A Study of the Church in Corinth." The first sermon was "Divisions Over Personality and Doctrine." Using the verses of 1 Cor 1:10-17, we studied the problems associated with people being divided over personal loyalties and teachings received by different preachers. This study will show us that there is no perfect church, not then, not now. And the reason is that we make up the church. Jesus meant to say, as I shared yesterday, "where two or three are gathered, there will be problems!"
Here is our study guide for today: Monday: Review your notes from yesterday and see how this speaks to your situation in your church. Is the church sharing a common mission or do you sense it doesn’t have a true sense of the mission? Please read Luke 14:16-24. Read there what the responses were to a common mission when invited.
Let's read from 1 Cor 1:10 10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas{[12] That is, Peter}"; still another, "I follow Christ." 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Some highlights from that passage from yesterday: Di-vision means having double vision. If you've ever had blurry or double vision, you know you can't see clearly. If a church has double vision, they miss the leading of God and cannot agree on where it is that God would have them go. We were baptized in the name of one God, with one mission and vision; called to share the good news of God's love through Jesus Christ.
The Luke passage says this: 14:16
Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' 19 "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' 20 "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' 21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.' 22 "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' 23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'"
Jesus used this passage as an illustration of how not everyone will come to Him nor to what He offers through His church. The excuses are great: Problems with property, job stresses, family matters, etc. In the parable, the servant reports this to the Master and the master then expands the invitation to include those who normally (for whatever reason) would not be invited to the banquet. The Master's desire is that his "house will be full." (v. 23).
I shared how it doesn't take much for church members to give off the wrong impression of their church to visitors or potential visitors. In the contemporary worship service it may one's favorite song is not sung often enough and the person wanting the song may say, "They never sing my favorite song, I don't like this church!" A visitor or potential visitor may ask, "What did you say about your church?" "That I don't like it!" And the same may be true about a quarrel or discussion about another issue such as the air conditioning is either too cold or too hot or "the preacher keeps us too long after 12!" And a visitor may ask, "What did you say about your church?" "That I don't like it!" And that's all it takes and the Master's house will not be full.
Most problems in the church begin with personal problems one may be facing at home or at work. We must not carry over those to the worship house of God. We should set those things aside so that the full blessing of being in the presence of God would be ours. Paul knew that God wanted his house full and so he writes these members in Corinth asking them to set aside differences and be united together to worship and serve God. Each person that makes up the church should see themselves as brother and sisters with other members. We're not enemies to each other, the enemy remains the same, he would "kill, steal, and destroy." (Jn 10:10).
PRAYER: Loving God, share anew the vision of Your church to me. Let me realize who I am and who I need to be to make your house full. I seek to do Your will and not mine. Help me to set aside quarrels and arguments so that I may serve You. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Yesterday we started a new series entitled, "1st Century Christians with 21st Century Problems: A Study of the Church in Corinth." The first sermon was "Divisions Over Personality and Doctrine." Using the verses of 1 Cor 1:10-17, we studied the problems associated with people being divided over personal loyalties and teachings received by different preachers. This study will show us that there is no perfect church, not then, not now. And the reason is that we make up the church. Jesus meant to say, as I shared yesterday, "where two or three are gathered, there will be problems!"
Here is our study guide for today: Monday: Review your notes from yesterday and see how this speaks to your situation in your church. Is the church sharing a common mission or do you sense it doesn’t have a true sense of the mission? Please read Luke 14:16-24. Read there what the responses were to a common mission when invited.
Let's read from 1 Cor 1:10 10 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. 11 My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. 12 What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas{[12] That is, Peter}"; still another, "I follow Christ." 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? 14 I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. 16 (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel--not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.
Some highlights from that passage from yesterday: Di-vision means having double vision. If you've ever had blurry or double vision, you know you can't see clearly. If a church has double vision, they miss the leading of God and cannot agree on where it is that God would have them go. We were baptized in the name of one God, with one mission and vision; called to share the good news of God's love through Jesus Christ.
The Luke passage says this: 14:16
Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.' 18 "But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.' 19 "Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' 20 "Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.' 21 "The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.' 22 "'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.' 23 "Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'"
Jesus used this passage as an illustration of how not everyone will come to Him nor to what He offers through His church. The excuses are great: Problems with property, job stresses, family matters, etc. In the parable, the servant reports this to the Master and the master then expands the invitation to include those who normally (for whatever reason) would not be invited to the banquet. The Master's desire is that his "house will be full." (v. 23).
I shared how it doesn't take much for church members to give off the wrong impression of their church to visitors or potential visitors. In the contemporary worship service it may one's favorite song is not sung often enough and the person wanting the song may say, "They never sing my favorite song, I don't like this church!" A visitor or potential visitor may ask, "What did you say about your church?" "That I don't like it!" And the same may be true about a quarrel or discussion about another issue such as the air conditioning is either too cold or too hot or "the preacher keeps us too long after 12!" And a visitor may ask, "What did you say about your church?" "That I don't like it!" And that's all it takes and the Master's house will not be full.
Most problems in the church begin with personal problems one may be facing at home or at work. We must not carry over those to the worship house of God. We should set those things aside so that the full blessing of being in the presence of God would be ours. Paul knew that God wanted his house full and so he writes these members in Corinth asking them to set aside differences and be united together to worship and serve God. Each person that makes up the church should see themselves as brother and sisters with other members. We're not enemies to each other, the enemy remains the same, he would "kill, steal, and destroy." (Jn 10:10).
PRAYER: Loving God, share anew the vision of Your church to me. Let me realize who I am and who I need to be to make your house full. I seek to do Your will and not mine. Help me to set aside quarrels and arguments so that I may serve You. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
GOD IS GOOD II
Good day dear friends. This comes at the end of a long day. I apologize for this coming so late, but I found myself at a jurisdictional meeting at a hotel that doesn't believe in free internet for their guests. It once was a prime hotel, it still has a prime name, but that was in ages past. It sits across the street from Six Flags in Arlington, and their price of choice for everything is $12.95. That was the price for internet access and for the breakfast buffet. We asked for menus and one waffle cost $10.95 and an omelette cost $11.95. So, the chair of the conference board of ordained ministry and I ordered the buffet. The waffle is the kind you get as part of your stay with other hotels/motels, but the omelette was great.
This comes within twelve hours of hearing very sad news of ministries closing. I can't share details other than to say two dear friends find themselves having to close doors to worship opportunities in these settings. It comes within those same hours of a dear church family excited about a possibility for employment that did not come to pass. It also comes within the same hours of a dear friend having to make a difficult decision for himself and his family about his calling.
God is good. I affirm that. God is good all the time while we either hoard or waste money and opportunities that would have benefitted God's kingdom. How we choose to spend our money and our time is our choice. I shared that yesterday, but if we are to glorify God we should seek to live according to God's commandments. God is good.
I'm not intending to write a devotional as I am a call to prayer. Let us join our hearts in trusting God for those mentioned above as well as other challenges that pastors and churches are facing. May God speak to us about how we can join together not only in prayer but in actions that build up God's presence among us.
PRAYER: Loving God I thank you for Your presence in my life. You are good. I affirm that. I lift up those mentioned by need. For reasons You know Lord I cannot mention names, but it is so comforting to know that You know and love them and You are at work in their lives. I pray for the brightness of clarity shine through so that these your children will know what to do. I praise You in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
This comes within twelve hours of hearing very sad news of ministries closing. I can't share details other than to say two dear friends find themselves having to close doors to worship opportunities in these settings. It comes within those same hours of a dear church family excited about a possibility for employment that did not come to pass. It also comes within the same hours of a dear friend having to make a difficult decision for himself and his family about his calling.
God is good. I affirm that. God is good all the time while we either hoard or waste money and opportunities that would have benefitted God's kingdom. How we choose to spend our money and our time is our choice. I shared that yesterday, but if we are to glorify God we should seek to live according to God's commandments. God is good.
I'm not intending to write a devotional as I am a call to prayer. Let us join our hearts in trusting God for those mentioned above as well as other challenges that pastors and churches are facing. May God speak to us about how we can join together not only in prayer but in actions that build up God's presence among us.
PRAYER: Loving God I thank you for Your presence in my life. You are good. I affirm that. I lift up those mentioned by need. For reasons You know Lord I cannot mention names, but it is so comforting to know that You know and love them and You are at work in their lives. I pray for the brightness of clarity shine through so that these your children will know what to do. I praise You in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Monday, September 11, 2006
GOD IS GOOD!
Good day dear friends.
We were richly blessed yesterday first with an old-fashioned hymnsing during our special 8 am worship service. This was a very moving service in which some of the OLD standards were lifted up in praise to the Lord and we felt the Spirit speak to us in each word and verse. Then at 10 a.m. folks gathered at the Harrison Ranch for the church's 159th Birthday bash and we enjoyed the music of the Open Doors Band, Luci True Tomlinson's baptism and food and fellowship. The weather lent itself to our being outdoors and perhaps our prayers drove away the rain altogether! We estimate about 200 folks were at the ranch.
As we begin our time of prayer together please remember Vanessa Trejo in your prayers. She is the young lady diagnosed with lupus and she has been under medication and today an exam will be done to see how her kidneys are functioning. Her parents appreciate our prayers and we pray that God's healing be with her.
Our BIRTHDAY message was from Deut. 30:11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
We asked the question: Would San Marcos be a different community if a Methodist church had never been founded? And the answer of course is yes, but not necessarily for the better. We spoke of the faith of the founders who knew the coming of a church would bring
Blessing
Inspiration
Relevance
Transformation
Healing
Deliverance
Answers
all dependent, like the people of Israel in the passage above, knowing it is Your choice!
If your computer is allowing you, you can see that spells out birthday and it spoke to our hearts about what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in our midsts if we open ourselves to Him.
I also shared how in an online survey we took about our church, most members rated our church low in Faith Sharing. So, I also shared three simple words that you can use in a conversation at the right time, with someone who needs to know about faith. God is good. See if you can't work that out in a talk you're having with a spouse, child, co-worker, student, employee, employer. You plant a tiny seed, but you've still shared your faith. Next Sunday we'll receive three more words and we'll continue working on being a faith sharing congregation.
God is good.
PRAYER: Father, you are good and we seek to be. Speak to our hearts, minds and spirits today when we can share a tiny word about our faith. Let us indeed proclaim not just with our words, but our actions as well, that You are good. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We were richly blessed yesterday first with an old-fashioned hymnsing during our special 8 am worship service. This was a very moving service in which some of the OLD standards were lifted up in praise to the Lord and we felt the Spirit speak to us in each word and verse. Then at 10 a.m. folks gathered at the Harrison Ranch for the church's 159th Birthday bash and we enjoyed the music of the Open Doors Band, Luci True Tomlinson's baptism and food and fellowship. The weather lent itself to our being outdoors and perhaps our prayers drove away the rain altogether! We estimate about 200 folks were at the ranch.
As we begin our time of prayer together please remember Vanessa Trejo in your prayers. She is the young lady diagnosed with lupus and she has been under medication and today an exam will be done to see how her kidneys are functioning. Her parents appreciate our prayers and we pray that God's healing be with her.
Our BIRTHDAY message was from Deut. 30:11 Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. 12 It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, "Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, "Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?" 14 No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it. 15 See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. 16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. 17 But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, 18 I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. 19 This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live 20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
We asked the question: Would San Marcos be a different community if a Methodist church had never been founded? And the answer of course is yes, but not necessarily for the better. We spoke of the faith of the founders who knew the coming of a church would bring
Blessing
Inspiration
Relevance
Transformation
Healing
Deliverance
Answers
all dependent, like the people of Israel in the passage above, knowing it is Your choice!
If your computer is allowing you, you can see that spells out birthday and it spoke to our hearts about what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in our midsts if we open ourselves to Him.
I also shared how in an online survey we took about our church, most members rated our church low in Faith Sharing. So, I also shared three simple words that you can use in a conversation at the right time, with someone who needs to know about faith. God is good. See if you can't work that out in a talk you're having with a spouse, child, co-worker, student, employee, employer. You plant a tiny seed, but you've still shared your faith. Next Sunday we'll receive three more words and we'll continue working on being a faith sharing congregation.
God is good.
PRAYER: Father, you are good and we seek to be. Speak to our hearts, minds and spirits today when we can share a tiny word about our faith. Let us indeed proclaim not just with our words, but our actions as well, that You are good. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Friday, September 08, 2006
OUR DAY OF PRAYER
Good day Lord Jesus. I thank you for this day. I know not what awaits me, but I know that as I awoke, You were there and You will be with me all throughout the day. Even when I conk out tonight, You will be He who watches while I "slumber and sleep." Lord, today is a day that I dedictate in prayer to you. I pray for those words of comfort and hope that I may share with those in my realm. May I speak an encouraging word to my child who may have not done his or her best in yesterday's game. May I speak a word of thankfulness to You for Your being with them during all sporting events. Lord, it may be that I might need to speak a word of hope to my child who didn't do so well in today's exam. Or perhaps whose "best friend" today decided she did not want to be best friends or even friends anymore. Keep me alert, dear God to those who might be in pain and discomfort and give me courage and wisdom to speak a word of gentle peace to them. I place those in Your loving hands as I place my family and myself. Guide and bless me this day. Let me be your person in all things. I pray in Christ Jesus' name, amen.
Friday: This is our day of prayer.. Pray for words that comfort and bring hope to those who might be in pain or agony about their situation. Strive to be a person of positive hope in God not only today but all days.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Friday: This is our day of prayer.. Pray for words that comfort and bring hope to those who might be in pain or agony about their situation. Strive to be a person of positive hope in God not only today but all days.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
THE POOR
Good day dear friends.
Our prayer focus today is to pray for our seminaries, particularly some needs at Asbury Theological Seminary. Pray for those who head these institutions. I ask special prayer for my friend, Dr. Jeff Greenway and his family.
We continue to explore the myth that says, "With all the suffering and evil in the world that proves there is no God." Here is our study guide for today:
Thursday: Mark 14:3-9 shares a powerful story about a generous act of kindness. What does it say to you about those who are poor?
Here is that passage from Mark 14:3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly. 6 "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
The homeless have been on my mind lately. Our youngest daughter in college in Denton shared with us how she and a new friend walked to a fast food restaurant near the campus. While ordering a homeless man stood beside them and began to order as if he was with them. Not having enough money to cover that, Caty and her friends explained that the man was not with them. The man got angry and began yelling at them that they were rich and could afford to pay for his supper. He followed them to their table and kept telling them that they were going to h-e-double hockey sticks (as Caty related in her story, but she said, "The man said the actual word!"). One of them pulled out their cell phone and said they were going to call the police and he replied he would call his lawyer. The other pulled out pepper spray and the incident was over. Tuesday night at our Emmaus gathering, the fourth day talk centered on the homeless and how this family was raised giving to them. The homeless are the poor that we will always have with us. We don't know their story, we know some are mentally ill and chose not to stay or were not allowed to stay institutionalized. Others made bad choices about life and were overcome with addictions and eventually found themselves in ruin. Someone once said that anyone who loses his or her job is only three days from being homeless.
In the story shared in Mark's gospel, Jesus is shown an act of expensive act of kindness. A woman pours what someone there says is a year's salary worth of perfume on his head. A year's salary is a lot of money. And the person noting it says, we could have used this to feed the poor! If you're a giving person you know that either a little voice within you or an exterior voice next to you will always second guess your decision to give. In this case this woman was led by God to do this act of significance and like most acts of obedience towards God someone will point out that we could have done something other than what we did. In the realm of our relationship with God, these God-acts are just between God and us. The fourth day speaker shared how he had a bottle of water to give a man at a traffic light and did not have a dollar bill. He found a $20 bill in his pocket and it was his daughter that said he should give it to the man and he did. And some of you reading are saying, what? Think of what that man did with that money!! It's a God-act. Think of what God is doing because of that act of kindness.
Jesus knew the reality of poverty. Every nation has it. Some nations are poorer than others. Even if a nation declares a war on poverty, it seems we just can't win. Just yesterday in the newspaper the prediction is that in the years ahead our children will be poorer than we are right now. It's a scary thought. And is it God's fault? Does that prove there is no God? No. God continues to touch hearts and move us to God-acts to help how we can. My daughter and her friend are giving people, they were just frightened by a man who demanded help in a scary way. We leave it to the leading of God's Holy Spirit in our lives to respond how we can and we continue to affirm that yes, there is a God and He does love the homeless. Do we?
PRAYER: Lord, it is sometimes difficult to know what to do when confronted by poverty and the needs of others. We cringe when we see men and women standing at street corners asking for money. We assume that anything we give them will be used for drugs or beer. Yet we know that some of us do give what we have and usually it's not much, but we leave that to You and them and what they're doing with it. Touch and guide our hearts to faithful obedience, not to judge and demean. Let me truly be Yours today, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Our prayer focus today is to pray for our seminaries, particularly some needs at Asbury Theological Seminary. Pray for those who head these institutions. I ask special prayer for my friend, Dr. Jeff Greenway and his family.
We continue to explore the myth that says, "With all the suffering and evil in the world that proves there is no God." Here is our study guide for today:
Thursday: Mark 14:3-9 shares a powerful story about a generous act of kindness. What does it say to you about those who are poor?
Here is that passage from Mark 14:3 While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly. 6 "Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
The homeless have been on my mind lately. Our youngest daughter in college in Denton shared with us how she and a new friend walked to a fast food restaurant near the campus. While ordering a homeless man stood beside them and began to order as if he was with them. Not having enough money to cover that, Caty and her friends explained that the man was not with them. The man got angry and began yelling at them that they were rich and could afford to pay for his supper. He followed them to their table and kept telling them that they were going to h-e-double hockey sticks (as Caty related in her story, but she said, "The man said the actual word!"). One of them pulled out their cell phone and said they were going to call the police and he replied he would call his lawyer. The other pulled out pepper spray and the incident was over. Tuesday night at our Emmaus gathering, the fourth day talk centered on the homeless and how this family was raised giving to them. The homeless are the poor that we will always have with us. We don't know their story, we know some are mentally ill and chose not to stay or were not allowed to stay institutionalized. Others made bad choices about life and were overcome with addictions and eventually found themselves in ruin. Someone once said that anyone who loses his or her job is only three days from being homeless.
In the story shared in Mark's gospel, Jesus is shown an act of expensive act of kindness. A woman pours what someone there says is a year's salary worth of perfume on his head. A year's salary is a lot of money. And the person noting it says, we could have used this to feed the poor! If you're a giving person you know that either a little voice within you or an exterior voice next to you will always second guess your decision to give. In this case this woman was led by God to do this act of significance and like most acts of obedience towards God someone will point out that we could have done something other than what we did. In the realm of our relationship with God, these God-acts are just between God and us. The fourth day speaker shared how he had a bottle of water to give a man at a traffic light and did not have a dollar bill. He found a $20 bill in his pocket and it was his daughter that said he should give it to the man and he did. And some of you reading are saying, what? Think of what that man did with that money!! It's a God-act. Think of what God is doing because of that act of kindness.
Jesus knew the reality of poverty. Every nation has it. Some nations are poorer than others. Even if a nation declares a war on poverty, it seems we just can't win. Just yesterday in the newspaper the prediction is that in the years ahead our children will be poorer than we are right now. It's a scary thought. And is it God's fault? Does that prove there is no God? No. God continues to touch hearts and move us to God-acts to help how we can. My daughter and her friend are giving people, they were just frightened by a man who demanded help in a scary way. We leave it to the leading of God's Holy Spirit in our lives to respond how we can and we continue to affirm that yes, there is a God and He does love the homeless. Do we?
PRAYER: Lord, it is sometimes difficult to know what to do when confronted by poverty and the needs of others. We cringe when we see men and women standing at street corners asking for money. We assume that anything we give them will be used for drugs or beer. Yet we know that some of us do give what we have and usually it's not much, but we leave that to You and them and what they're doing with it. Touch and guide our hearts to faithful obedience, not to judge and demean. Let me truly be Yours today, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
OUR DAY OF PRAYER AND PURPOSE
Good day dear friends. We continue to lift our prayers to the Lord
for the many needs shared with us as well as your personal needs.
This week we're talking about God being real and present even in the
midst of so much suffering and evil.
Here is our prayer and purpose guide for today:
Wednesday: For our day of prayer and purpose, let us be in prayer
for those in our lives who are suffering. You can take a piece of
paper and make a list of those names of those who are hurting and do
something for them. A note or a card would be a great way to share
God's hope and love with them. If they have email and if you do as
well, go to our church's website, www.fumcsm.org, click on "Related
Links" then on FUMC Cards. We offer free email greeting cards with
the name of the church on them! Send one today!
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
for the many needs shared with us as well as your personal needs.
This week we're talking about God being real and present even in the
midst of so much suffering and evil.
Here is our prayer and purpose guide for today:
Wednesday: For our day of prayer and purpose, let us be in prayer
for those in our lives who are suffering. You can take a piece of
paper and make a list of those names of those who are hurting and do
something for them. A note or a card would be a great way to share
God's hope and love with them. If they have email and if you do as
well, go to our church's website, www.fumcsm.org, click on "Related
Links" then on FUMC Cards. We offer free email greeting cards with
the name of the church on them! Send one today!
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
WHO CAUSES EVIL?
Good day dear friends. The delicious sound of rain outside here in SM sounds great! This must be the same rain we had in Denton yesterday morning as we had traveled to see our little one in TWU. Thank you, Lord for the rain! We need it, so keep it coming!
We continue to affirm that there is a God even in the midst of so much pain and suffering. I know many hearts broke yesterday at the news of the death of Steve Irwin. Though our family did not know him personally, we watched his shows and learned a lot about nature through him. May the Lord comfort his family and two small children. May the Lord be with all who mourn and need comforting. On our return last evening we saw several serious car accidents along I-35 and we pray for all involved.
Here is our study guide: Tuesday: John 9:2-7 shares the story about a blind man. Read this passage and see if what the disciples are asking Jesus isn’t something we sometimes ask ourselves. Who causes the evil and suffering in the world?
Here is that passage from John 9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
Indeed the question asked by the disciples is something we sometimes wonder or ask, what has caused the physical ailments of some people? In this case the disciples think it had to have been either the man himself or his parents, through some horrible sin, that caused his blindness. Jesus answers the truth: "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." Now this does raise the question, did God cause this man to be born blind since birth simply to perform this miracle or was that a way of answering their question with the miracle about to follow as the fullness of the explanation? In my belief God does not cause blindness, it is something that happens through an accident or lack of care for oneself. For a child to be born it had to have been some defect in the child caused by nature, but the good news was that on that day that he encountered Jesus he was delivered from blindness to sight!
We don't know the why of so much suffering in the world. Some of it is just plain evil done by humans ourselves. Leaving Dallas we were listening to a talk show and the director of one of the animal rescue agencies came on to talk about a female dog that was doused with a flammable substance and then set on fire. The dog survived by will require surgery and very delicate care. The person or persons who caused this poured that same substance in the dog's ears and she suffered burns inside her ears. This is just evil. And you could probably compile of list of even worse things.
We again affirm what we did on Sunday, though we may not be able to explain the why of suffering, we do know the Who who stands by us and that is God Himself. Some things will remain a mystery and may trouble us the rest of this life, but one day we will see face to face and deeply and fully understand all things. And when that day comes we will experience God's love in a even greater, hard to imagine way.
PRAYER: God stand with me today and all days. I seek to do Your will and to follow Your guidance. I desire no harm to come to anyone and I would pray I could be a part of healing and comfort in the lives of those who may need me. Thank you for this rain. Bless us the dryness of our souls and let us seek to be a refreshing blessing to someone today. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We continue to affirm that there is a God even in the midst of so much pain and suffering. I know many hearts broke yesterday at the news of the death of Steve Irwin. Though our family did not know him personally, we watched his shows and learned a lot about nature through him. May the Lord comfort his family and two small children. May the Lord be with all who mourn and need comforting. On our return last evening we saw several serious car accidents along I-35 and we pray for all involved.
Here is our study guide: Tuesday: John 9:2-7 shares the story about a blind man. Read this passage and see if what the disciples are asking Jesus isn’t something we sometimes ask ourselves. Who causes the evil and suffering in the world?
Here is that passage from John 9:1 As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" 3 "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." 6 Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7 "Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
Indeed the question asked by the disciples is something we sometimes wonder or ask, what has caused the physical ailments of some people? In this case the disciples think it had to have been either the man himself or his parents, through some horrible sin, that caused his blindness. Jesus answers the truth: "Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." Now this does raise the question, did God cause this man to be born blind since birth simply to perform this miracle or was that a way of answering their question with the miracle about to follow as the fullness of the explanation? In my belief God does not cause blindness, it is something that happens through an accident or lack of care for oneself. For a child to be born it had to have been some defect in the child caused by nature, but the good news was that on that day that he encountered Jesus he was delivered from blindness to sight!
We don't know the why of so much suffering in the world. Some of it is just plain evil done by humans ourselves. Leaving Dallas we were listening to a talk show and the director of one of the animal rescue agencies came on to talk about a female dog that was doused with a flammable substance and then set on fire. The dog survived by will require surgery and very delicate care. The person or persons who caused this poured that same substance in the dog's ears and she suffered burns inside her ears. This is just evil. And you could probably compile of list of even worse things.
We again affirm what we did on Sunday, though we may not be able to explain the why of suffering, we do know the Who who stands by us and that is God Himself. Some things will remain a mystery and may trouble us the rest of this life, but one day we will see face to face and deeply and fully understand all things. And when that day comes we will experience God's love in a even greater, hard to imagine way.
PRAYER: God stand with me today and all days. I seek to do Your will and to follow Your guidance. I desire no harm to come to anyone and I would pray I could be a part of healing and comfort in the lives of those who may need me. Thank you for this rain. Bless us the dryness of our souls and let us seek to be a refreshing blessing to someone today. I pray in Jesus' name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Monday, September 04, 2006
SANDPAPER UNDERWEAR
Good day dear friends.
We finished our sermon series on the Ten Myths About Christianity with myth number ten: All the Suffering and Evil in this World Prove there is No God. We used Rev. 20:1-10 as our text as we studied the common stance of those who hold fast to this myth: How can a loving and all powerful God allow evil? And if God is so powerful why doesn't He remove evil from the world? We affirmed that God did not create evil and that there is an outside influence (not that we need one, we're pretty "good" at disobeying God on our own!) named Satan who hates God and the people of God and as Jesus said about him in John 10:10, he seeks only "to kill, steal, and destroy." The Revelation passage speaks of the coming end of evil and he who seeks it.
Here is our study guide for today:
Monday: Let’s go back to the very beginning! Gen. 3:1-24. Yes, it is the entire chapter of Genesis 3. Read very slowly and cautiously all that is being said in this chapter. Note the role of the serpent and the role of the man and the woman. Notice what the serpent is offering the two. Would this have attracted you? And then see the “curse” God places on all creatures as a result of this action. What are your thoughts on that?
---------------------------
Here is that passage in NRSV: Genesis 3: Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, "You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.' " 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. 8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."
11 He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate."
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."
16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."
17 And to the man he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, "You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
20 The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, "See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.
----------------------
I spoke about God's positive command to the man and the woman to freely eat of any tree, except one. And our introduction to "the serpent" shows 1) he can talk, 2) he's crafty or sneaky, 3) he changes the positive command of God to a negative command. Note his question, "Did God say, "You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" God never said that! Any wonder Satan is also known as the father of lies, among other things? You know the story, you just read it, the woman and the man take the fruit, even after the woman reveals she and the man had added their own, "nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.' God hadn't said that, the couple had agreed that might be the best policy to best protect themselves. But they eat anyway and discover they are naked. Here is original sin. Not nakedness, but disobedience to God. And as a result they make their first judgment call that being naked is bad and so they seek to cover up. And the comedy continues, they sew together sandpaper underwear! If you've ever felt a fig leaf, one side is soft, the other is like sandpaper, so the writer wants us to know that our wanting to be wise resulted in anything but (no pun intended!).
Their next act is to hide from God for they knew that had done something wrong. God finds them and does not kill them, but they soon discover they are in a new relationship. The "curse" is for the man that he now has to work the soil for it to produce what was once just freely given. It would be hard work for "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." And the woman's curse is pain in childbearing and yet a desire for her husband. The serpent would now go upon its belly and eat dust. And all creatures would return to the dust for out of dust we had come.
The writer has shared how evil came into the world. It was our free will that made us choose to disobey, to not trust, God. The result was a fall from grace and it would not be until God sent Jesus that we could see how easy it is for us to be restored into the fullness of grace and love, simply by our asking for it and seeking to be in obedient relationship with God.
No matter what we've faced or are facing, the message is clear: God is still with us and never abandons us.
PRAYER: Loving God, I ask forgiveness for those times I have obeyed myself instead of you. Restore me to the fullness of grace and life as I seek to follow Jesus today and all days. I pray in His name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
We finished our sermon series on the Ten Myths About Christianity with myth number ten: All the Suffering and Evil in this World Prove there is No God. We used Rev. 20:1-10 as our text as we studied the common stance of those who hold fast to this myth: How can a loving and all powerful God allow evil? And if God is so powerful why doesn't He remove evil from the world? We affirmed that God did not create evil and that there is an outside influence (not that we need one, we're pretty "good" at disobeying God on our own!) named Satan who hates God and the people of God and as Jesus said about him in John 10:10, he seeks only "to kill, steal, and destroy." The Revelation passage speaks of the coming end of evil and he who seeks it.
Here is our study guide for today:
Monday: Let’s go back to the very beginning! Gen. 3:1-24. Yes, it is the entire chapter of Genesis 3. Read very slowly and cautiously all that is being said in this chapter. Note the role of the serpent and the role of the man and the woman. Notice what the serpent is offering the two. Would this have attracted you? And then see the “curse” God places on all creatures as a result of this action. What are your thoughts on that?
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Here is that passage in NRSV: Genesis 3: Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, "You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" 2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3 but God said, "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.' " 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die; 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. 8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" 10 He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."
11 He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate."
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."
16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pangs in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."
17 And to the man he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree about which I commanded you, "You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
20 The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, "See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.
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I spoke about God's positive command to the man and the woman to freely eat of any tree, except one. And our introduction to "the serpent" shows 1) he can talk, 2) he's crafty or sneaky, 3) he changes the positive command of God to a negative command. Note his question, "Did God say, "You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?" God never said that! Any wonder Satan is also known as the father of lies, among other things? You know the story, you just read it, the woman and the man take the fruit, even after the woman reveals she and the man had added their own, "nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.' God hadn't said that, the couple had agreed that might be the best policy to best protect themselves. But they eat anyway and discover they are naked. Here is original sin. Not nakedness, but disobedience to God. And as a result they make their first judgment call that being naked is bad and so they seek to cover up. And the comedy continues, they sew together sandpaper underwear! If you've ever felt a fig leaf, one side is soft, the other is like sandpaper, so the writer wants us to know that our wanting to be wise resulted in anything but (no pun intended!).
Their next act is to hide from God for they knew that had done something wrong. God finds them and does not kill them, but they soon discover they are in a new relationship. The "curse" is for the man that he now has to work the soil for it to produce what was once just freely given. It would be hard work for "By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return." And the woman's curse is pain in childbearing and yet a desire for her husband. The serpent would now go upon its belly and eat dust. And all creatures would return to the dust for out of dust we had come.
The writer has shared how evil came into the world. It was our free will that made us choose to disobey, to not trust, God. The result was a fall from grace and it would not be until God sent Jesus that we could see how easy it is for us to be restored into the fullness of grace and love, simply by our asking for it and seeking to be in obedient relationship with God.
No matter what we've faced or are facing, the message is clear: God is still with us and never abandons us.
PRAYER: Loving God, I ask forgiveness for those times I have obeyed myself instead of you. Restore me to the fullness of grace and life as I seek to follow Jesus today and all days. I pray in His name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
Friday, September 01, 2006
OUR DAY OF PRAYER
Good day dear friends.
Please remember Betty Grout in your prayers as she is to have surgery today. She is the widow of Rev. Paul Grout who passed away recently. Please hold the Grout family in your prayers.
Today is our day of prayer and here is our prayer guide for today:
Friday: This is our day of prayer.. May our prayer continue to be the same as it was on Wednesday. May the Spirit of God move among us and through us, and even in spite of us, to touch our hearts, spirits, and lives to make us the people God needs to reach other people. May our prayer be to be equipped in the Lord in the way God would have us be to better serve Him.
We praise God for your faithfulness in praying and lifting each other up!
Have a great and blessed day and a safe holiday weekend!
e.v.
Please remember Betty Grout in your prayers as she is to have surgery today. She is the widow of Rev. Paul Grout who passed away recently. Please hold the Grout family in your prayers.
Today is our day of prayer and here is our prayer guide for today:
Friday: This is our day of prayer.. May our prayer continue to be the same as it was on Wednesday. May the Spirit of God move among us and through us, and even in spite of us, to touch our hearts, spirits, and lives to make us the people God needs to reach other people. May our prayer be to be equipped in the Lord in the way God would have us be to better serve Him.
We praise God for your faithfulness in praying and lifting each other up!
Have a great and blessed day and a safe holiday weekend!
e.v.
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