Good day dear friends. We had a tremendous evening of Gospel music last night in Kyle! What a beautiful theatre and setting for our annual celebration and fundraiser. If you missed it, you missed a blessing.
We started a new sermon series on MADE TO COUNT, sermons about living a life that counts. Yesterday's kick-off sermon was "Living a Life That Counts." This sermon, like most, if available online at http://www.fumcsm.org/, click on the sermon title). A life that counts is one open to the leading of God's Spirit and one who realizes that one has a heart to love and be loved. The biblical example was the life of the Apostle Paul. His life had two major chapters, the anti-Christian persecutor and the pro-Christ evangelist. You can read these in Acts 8 and 9.
Here is our study guide for today: Monday: Philippians 3:4b-8 relate more about the very interesting life of Paul. Read this passage and learn a little more about his life prior to his becoming a Christian. See how though a very religious man, he was not in relationship with God only with his traditions. What can be said about your life?
Here is our study guide for today: Monday: Philippians 3:4b-8 relate more about the very interesting life of Paul. Read this passage and learn a little more about his life prior to his becoming a Christian. See how though a very religious man, he was not in relationship with God only with his traditions. What can be said about your life?
Here is that passage: Philippians 3:4b If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ
Paul's first part of his life had been plotted out. At an early part of his life he knew he wanted to serve God. He went the appropriate route and had his life goal of serving God planned out. In this passage he affirms his life and life choice by sharing his thoughts on his lineage. He was a circumcised Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, a "Hebrew born of Hebrews," a Pharisee. He goes on to show that he was a persecutor of the church and even blameless in the standard of measuring one's life against the law. But in coming to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior, he said, nothing else compares. His life only counted when he became a Christian and realized his mission and purpose in life was not to arrest and try Christians, but to spread the word of God in Christ.
One can see that being religious can be seen as something "nice," but as long as one is not in relationship with Christ one has gained nothing. I'm glad people come to church, but I want every Sunday worship experience to be one where one's relationship with Christ is strengthened. And if one doesn't have a relationship yet, I want that to be the place where one can begin.
I pray that in your life you can say, "I have a loving, trusting relationship with God!" And that my friend, is what counts!
Have a great day in the Lord!
e.v.
