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Saturday, March 16 2024
Good Morning Fellow Servants of God's Good News Delivery Co.! Are you hearing God speaking to your heart? Are you processing with others, praying, planning, and following God into the places around you that He is at work? What's your part in His Good News Delivery Co? We all have a custom made part prepared specifically for us. And we begin with prayer, offering ourselves just as we are and then joining God as we travel through each day. He provides, protects, guides, stretches, grows, equips, empowers, prepares others and uses what we have been given to complete His perfect plans. Amen! I am so blessed to see how God is using many of us to share His blessings and spread His love and Good News. He has just begun to lead us to the next and new things He has prepared for each of us, small groups of us, and all of us together! PTL!
Talking to some of you, I am hearing that you don't know what your part may be. The parts are as varied and many as you and unique to you. Has God molded you, shaped you, equipped you, allowed you experiences, do what do you enjoy? Those are just some of the filters to use in discerning your part which will include how He made you and gifted you. Probably two of the most important tools in discerning your part is talking to God about it and processing with others. Others often see things we miss, hear God speaking encouragement or correction over you, pray for you, and hold you accountable to carrying through. We are family that God has gathered to prepare and use to expand His Kingdom, even today! PTL! God is calling us to earnestly pursue Him more in '24. Discern more. Plan more. Do more. Become more like Jesus and doing more of what He created us to do.
It's obvious that this world is going to Hell in a handbasket. That is not what God desires for His creations. He is preparing you and us to be part of His rescue mission. He has a custom part in that just for you. So, pray into that and start looking for the others He is wanting you to partner with and reach out to them. They may be getting some of the pieces of the puzzle that you seem to be missing. Who are your peeps? What is your part? What are you doing about it?
God has really been doing a work in me and speaking to me as I surrender more of me to Him. I am convinced that He put me in the hospital to do some of His spiritual heart surgery. I am a different man since then. PTL! And I am learning my part and letting go of things that, though good and better things of God, are not His best for me or are other people's parts. He is preparing me for such a time as this to lead us to what's next. He's closed some doors and windows and opened some others. He's given me a change of perspective as I release some of my preconceived notions of what He wants me and us to do and let go of some of my plans to make room for His. And man does He have some great plans for us this summer and beyond awaiting you to step into your part! Check out the prayer in the Upper Room (below) today and pray into releasing your preferences, plans and busyness and be open to allowing God to adjust your thinking and plans to His. They are really good! So much peace comes as we let go and let God! Then process ODB (the one God had me study yesterday) about sharing your faith. WOW! God is speaking to each of your hearts and inviting you to come follow Him and He will teach you to fish for people. What is your response to that invite? Pray through these two questions...Where is God calling you to share your faith? How might He empower you to do this today?
We will be processing this over the next month or so and also with our Vision Team in April. In the meantime, pray hard into this and look around at what God is doing around you. Talk to Him about hosting or leading a small group that reaches the people around you or into the things you are already doing. God's got a custom plan just for you and for a group of friends. Talk to Him about that. I'd encourage you to reread and pray through the last two days blogs as well. God is revealing His plan for our summer out of the building and for our future as we change the world for Christ. It is time to move from isolation to distribution. And it's time to start really living out the purpose of where God has placed you and to do so with some friends. We all have a part! PTL! Ask Him to reveal yours and begin processing and planning! Amen! We are His Good News Delivery Co. sent out to rescue some souls right around us and change the world outside our doors. Amen!
UR: God's Shadow
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. - Psalm 91:1 (NIV)
In Scotland, UK, where I was brought up, we don’t have a lot of warm sunshine. I remember as a teenager sitting outdoors sunbathing, trying to get a tan. I’d sigh with disappointment when a cloud obscured the sun temporarily, covering me in a cool shadow.
My feelings toward shadows changed dramatically when I landed in Madras, India, in May 1975 to serve on the staff of a teacher-training college. I stepped off the plane into what felt like a hot oven — 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Overhead was a cloudless blue sky. In what can be an oppressively hot and humid climate, people long for shadows which can offer shelter. The students used to sit in groups under the spreading foliage of trees to study together.
Likewise, in the warm, sunny land of Israel, where David composed his psalms, a shadow would be thought of as a gift, a comfort, a protection — something to be valued. How much more valuable, then, is “the shadow of the Almighty!” In God’s shadow, we find shelter and safety.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear God, thank you for the change in perspective new experiences can bring. Inspire us today to rest in your sheltering shadow. Amen.ODB:
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In 1701, the Church of England founded the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in order to send missionaries around the globe. The motto they chose was transiens adiuva nos—Latin for “Come over and help us!” This has been the call on gospel ambassadors since the first century, as followers of Jesus take the message of His love and forgiveness to a world in desperate need of it.
The phrase “come over and help us” comes from the “Macedonian call” described in Acts 16. Paul and his team had arrived at Troas on the west coast of Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey, v. 8). There, “Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us’ ” (v. 9). Having received the vision, Paul and his companions “got ready at once to leave for Macedonia” (v. 10). They understood the vital importance of the call.
Not everyone is called to cross the seas, but we can support those who do with our prayers and finances. And all of us can tell someone, whether across the room, the street, or the community, about the good news of Jesus. Let’s pray that our good God will enable us to cross over and give people the greatest help of all—the opportunity for forgiveness in Jesus’ name.
By Bill Crowder
REFLECT & PRAY
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Where is God calling you to share your faith? How might He empower you to do this today?
Loving Father, You sent Your Son for our rescue and forgiveness. Equip me to be an agent of Your great good news that forgiveness and freedom are available to whoever will receive Jesus by faith.
For further study, read Gospel Conversations: Sharing the Story of Jesus.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
There’s a fascinating note in Luke’s description of Paul’s journey to Philippi (Acts 16:1-12). In verse 6, he says: “Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia.” The apostle had been prevented from preaching by the Spirit! Somehow, in God’s good plan, they were to bypass Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey) in order to cross over to Greece and begin the movement of the gospel in Europe. The text doesn’t tell us why this was done, but we can be sure that—knowing God’s heart for the lost everywhere—it wasn’t a reflection of any lack of love for those in Asia Minor.
Bill Crowder |
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Saturday, March 16 2024
Thank GOD I'm Forgiven Friday! Just start with some praise today. Dig out those gratitude lists and sit at Jesus' feet worshiping! Nothing could be finer than to lift some praises in the morning! I'm praising God for the time change which brought me back into normal schedule. I slept 9 hours again and am praying to adjust to His schedule as I feel like I lost half a day getting up so late at 6:30.
Good Morning Children--Children of God---Children of His promise--Gathered and Sent Children of God! Praise and pray into that salutation today that ties to some of our devos for today. God is in the process of raising us as great kids. Are you cooperating? He is sending us to some who will become spiritual children of ours to raise in the faith. Who might your spiritual children be? Ask God how to teach, lead, model, disciple and your part in His Good News and Disciple Making Co. Check out Harvest Prayer's blog below about praying and their prayer starters as you move from worship to hearing, responding and interceding this morning. And check out The Word for You Today about raising great kids. (day 5 of that) Talk to God about how to do your part in being a good child of His and for raising some good spiritual children. This is great advice for those feeling called to lead a small group and applies to leading a church as well. Pray to be a great child of God and an encourager, great mentor and fine example of walking with Jesus and in the joy of your salvation. Ask God to give you His eyes, heart, mind and direction to be His hands and feet and for boldness to go love well in the name of Christ in this Christ-less world.
Our Daily Bread Speaks into sharing our faith and really ties to yesterday's blog and things God is bringing to the forefront for us with living out the purpose of our place. Using what we've been given as we are created and empowered to use to go make disciples is our summer purpose from God. It will require all of us being all in and praying, providing, encouraging and reaching into the places God us sending us to live out our purposes this summer to connect to others and connect them to Him. It is God's will for us for the summer and beyond to move from isolation to distribution. He has made it clear that, like during the Diaspora (when believers in Christ were driven out of Jerusalem after the martyrdom of Stephen and they took the Gospel to the world). And it will involve all of us to go and make disciples as we are commissioned and now sent to do as we move from the isolation of our building to going and distributing as God's sent Good News Delivery Co. and Disciple Making Machine. What's your part? What will you do about it? Start by praying for dreams, visions, and wisdom for where God is sending you/us and for the new people to connect to? And for boldness to share your thoughts and to do your part. Pray for small groups of sent ones to be raised up and ready to mobilize as the Holy Spirit leads.
Haha! I'm a day ahead on ODB. If you have it read tomorrow's God led me there when I asked Him to lead me and write this blog. God doesn't make mistakes. I included today's below as it speaks into the legacy we are building and building on as we build on our strengths, work on our weaknesses, and follow God just as we are to His future for us. Tomorrow's talks about being attuned to and following the Holy Spirit and asks, "Where is God sending you to share your faith? How might He be empowering you to do that today?" Well, how? Because our vision team sought God and His direction and wisdom and maybe unbeknownst at the time when they voted to not AC the Fellowship Hall, opened a door for us to step from isolation to distribution as God is sending us out with His love and Good News for the summer and beyond. PTL! His plans are great, perfect and enacted as we pray, seek, and make ourselves available. He is sending us and you all have a part. It's time to move from adding members to multiplying disciples! Thanks God! (Add that to your gratitude list)
Realizing what was happening has given me peace about no AC. (Thanks God!) It happened as I humbled myself and prayed, not my will Lord, but Yours. Thanks Lord! Send us and raise up harvest workers as you send us to the harvest. Amen! (I really think all of this may be part of a sermon series to come so all of our members can hear and begin processing this and preparing)
Here's where your part in this kicks in. I got nothing. God has only made clear to me His call to leave the building. Not where, how, who, what. He's whispering to me that you all have that part being revealed to you. God probably has already given you some ideas when He stirred in you to vote no to AC. We need you to share your thoughts and ideas and keep praying for God to bring dreams and visions and to bring them alive through a group (groups) of us to enact. He seems to be revealing that this going and distributing is to be by small groups sent to different areas. PLEASE seek God earnestly for this and for your part, your small group, and His plans for you to go love, serve, and make disciples this summer. What's He saying to you? What will you do about it? I am praying for you and all of us. I know God will have me encourage and help you to get your part rolling, but He has made it clear to me that my part is to train and release, not to be part of each sent group. With all the momentum we have going, I can't imagine God shutting us down for the summer! Can you? My summer call is to keep ministering to those coming for bread and preparing you to go. God has whispered the reminder that I can't do it all so stop trying. (That was part of my hospitalization and I will not kill myself anymore to do what others are called to do, by the grace of God). So, what's God's plan for you and your small group? How can I pray, train and help you to get started? He really does have great plans for you and us! PTL! Go love well! Shalom!
Harvest Prayer Blog:
March 15 - Simple, Consistent Prayer
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If you are just starting out on the journey into prayer, don’t be bothered by the length of your prayers. Remember what Jesus said about “babbling” (Matthew 6:7). A sincere, simple prayer, can have as much or even more impact than twenty minutes of rambling.
So What? To begin to grow in prayer, start by picking two or three areas of your life in which you want to see God’s hand at work. Maybe it’s your kids, your relationship with your spouse, a work situation, a character flaw. As you seek to develop your prayer life, simply focus on these things. Don’t worry about how long you pray—just talk to God about what’s on your heart.
Read some Scripture, looking for God to speak to you out of His Word. As you pray, pause to listen from time to time. If a thought on the issue enters your mind, pray about that thought. Ask God to give you a promise from His Word regarding your situation. Then pray over that verse.
You will be surprised how your prayer time grows. Eventually, you will feel confident to add other prayer items to your list, including ones beyond family or personal issues. Perhaps you will begin praying significantly for your pastor or your church, or maybe a neighbor who needs to meet Jesus.
The point is, don’t chide yourself on how little you pray. Just try to develop some consistency with the fact that you do pray. God will do the rest.
Lord God, as You grow my praying life, I ask that You continue to teach and train me from Your powerful word! Help me to connect my heart with Yours as You speak! Draw me closer to Your will for Your kingdom as I listen and then pray obediently. Stretch me so that I will grow deeper and stronger in intercession. Grow my desire for more of Your presence!
--Adapted from The Power of Personal Prayer (Learning to Pray with Faith and Purpose) by Jonathan Graf. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Read Psalm 139 and praise the all-knowing one who perfectly knows you in every action, thought, and word (139:1, 4).
- Thank God for the comforting knowledge that he is with you wherever you go (139:5-6).
- Confess any attempt to flee his all-knowing presence (139:7-12).
- Commit yourself to learning more about these wonderful human bodies he has made (139:13-16).
- Ask him to give you a love for knowing his thoughts (139:17-18), an informed hatred for those he hates (139:19-22), and an “open-book” relationship with him (139:23-24).
- Pray that your nation will repent of willful ignorance of God’s thoughts and ways. Ask that the beauty and purpose of human life be accepted and promoted (Psalm 139:12-16).
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TWFYT:
ODB:
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As Dust Bowl sandstorms ravaged the United States during the Great Depression, John Millburn Davis, a resident of Hiawatha, Kansas, decided to make a name for himself. A self-made millionaire with no children, Davis might have invested in charity or economic development. Instead, at great expense, he commissioned eleven life-size statues of himself and his deceased wife to stand in the local cemetery.
“They hate me in Kansas,” Davis told journalist Ernie Pyle. Local residents wanted him to fund the construction of public facilities like a hospital, swimming pool, or park. Yet all he said was, “It’s my money and I spend it the way I please.”
King Solomon, the wealthiest man of his day, wrote, “Whoever loves money never has enough,” and “as goods increase, so do those who consume them” (Ecclesiastes 5:10–11). Solomon had grown keenly aware of the corrupting tendencies of wealth.
The apostle Paul also understood the temptation of wealth and chose to invest his life in obedience to Jesus. Awaiting execution in a Roman prison, he wrote triumphantly, “I am already being poured out like a drink offering . . . . I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Timothy 4:6–7).
What lasts isn’t what we chisel in stone or hoard for ourselves. It’s what we give out of love for each other and for Him—the One who shows us how to love.
By Tim Gustafson
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What will others remember about you? What changes might you need to make as you ponder your eternal legacy?
Heavenly Father, please help me pour out my life for others in some small way today.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In Ecclesiastes, Solomon has a lot to say about material wealth. He also devotes a hundred or so sayings in the book of Proverbs to the subject of riches and money. Material wealth can either be a blessing (Proverbs 10:22) or a curse (30:7-9), depending on how one relates to it (see Deuteronomy 8:7-19). God warns us not to get rich by wrongdoing or unjust means (Proverbs 15:27; 22:16; 22:22-23). We’re to seek wisdom rather than wealth (3:13-15; 8:10-11; 16:16), for the godly life is better than the good life. Right living is better than rich living (15:16; 16:8; 28:6). Money is a fleeting commodity that gives us false security (23:4-5; 27:24; Ecclesiastes 5:10-11). Rather, we need to invest for eternity. Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where . . . thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:19-20).
K. T. Sim |
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Saturday, March 16 2024
Good Morning Teammates--Co-Laborers in Christ! I can't get last night's video and huddle discussion out of my mind. God woke me very early to contemplate this further with Him. (BTW for those wondering, at 3 am my blood sugar was 113 and my BP 118/70! God is my healer! and three donuts are OK!)
We had an awesome day of ministry and fellowship around the table in our Fellowship Hall yesterday! Around 65 people came for bread and donuts and about 70 some gathered around the tables for ministry and fellowship. Prayers were lifted and encouragements shared. Then last night around 25 gathered around the tables to eat, fellowship, watch a video and discuss, reason together and pray. Our fellowship hall is becoming a house of prayer for the nations. In between those two activities I had the honor of visiting some of our homebound as I did on Tues. as well. God is on the move and using us to share His love and help! PTL! We are reminded in the Bible to care for widows and orphans, feed the hungry, cloth those in need, visit the prisoners', shelter the homeless. We, by the grace and provision of God, are doing these things. Keep it up and keep stepping into your part--including praying, giving, and serving.
Here's an update: Nancy Bahr is doing well but lonely and bored. She says hi to everyone. Doris Hausman is doing great and still ministering and lighting up lives with the joy of the Lord at 103. She said to remind everyone that Jesus loves you and to keep loving Him and there is no retirement from sharing God's love! Darlene Skinner is sitting in a wheelchair and doing better but still has a long road to go in rehab from her spine surgery. She thanks everyone for their prayers. Harold and Maryanne Zanders say Hi and they miss everyone. They are able to get out and take walks and have some day trips planned for the late spring with their daughter. LaRue and Randy Schmidt say hi and follow what is going on at St Matts and pray for us. They attend a church close to them now. They have a man servant, Hesmond, who joins us for communion and prayer. He asked for prayers for His family to be able to get a visa to join Him. Next week I will visit some others. I know some of you are visiting, calling and sending cards to our homebound. They very much need and appreciate the love we show! Thank you!
A few other prayer requests: Houstin Lichtenwalner has a torn Ham string but does not need surgery and has been given the go ahead to work the farm. He will be pain a lot of pain for a long time, especially when sitting. Pray for a full and complete healing, pain relief and for wisdom and patience and for Gail as she cares for him. Bob from bread ministry has constant pain in his back and is ready to give up. We prayed for healing and relief and he left in tears. God is at work with his friend Patrick. Pray for God to continue to draw Patrick to His love and forgiveness. Pray for healing for Isabelle as she has been suffering a long time awaiting doc visit. Pray for provision for all those we served and for them to be drawn to God through us. A family is interested in renting the fellowship hall for family gatherings. Pray for more opportunities for this kind of income. Pray for the NA group that gathers in our building for deliverance and to be drawn to God as they walk away from addictions. Pray for the Clothing Closet ministry this Sat. Thank God for the new members that will be joining our church Palm Sunday. Thank you! And pray for God to lead us to summer connection points and ministry. Ask what your part is and for dreams and vision for where He wants us to connect to others.
I'm only sharing the Harvest Prayer blog below today. You can use your Bibles and devotionals to connect to and talk to God. I spent most of my quiet time talking to God about last night and His plans for us this summer. The Video we watched from Israel last night was about how God is always teaching and preparing His people to follow Him and spread His Good News. He moves from isolation to distribution (preparing and protecting from the outside influences to sending His prepared ones into the world.) That is why we are still here. (we are gathered to prepare and now sent to take the Good News to our neighbors) We are God's Good News Delivery Co. and we all have a vital part in that. What's yours? What's ours a a gathering of believers?
The thing that really got me during the video and is still being chewed on is the thought the host shared, "Are we living out the purpose of our place?" It sounded like he got ahold of one of my sermons. I love the affirmation that comes when others are hearing and sharing the same things we are hearing from God! Thanks Lord! The host reminded us that we are unique individuals with unique purposes from God and placed by Him right where He wants to use us for such a time as this. Sound familiar? God is speaking and He has gathered and placed us here, placed you here, for such a time as this! PTL! So are you, are we "living out the purpose of our place"? Talk to God about that and process that with some others! Why are you/we placed here? What does God have planned for us? What's my part/ our part together? What's next? What is the purpose of your placement here and are you doing that purpose? What about our Body called St. Matts.? God has some great custom made plans for custom made you, just as you are, for such a time as this. He wants to grow you and our fellowship. He wants to grow His Kingdom through us and has placed us here and is preparing us to make disciples today. He's already using us. How does He want to expand that? He's always up to something new? What might that be? Let's pray into and figure that out and start putting God's plans into action in this place, even today! Amen!
I shared last night how God has been using our Fellowship Hall and table ministry to grow our fellowship and ministry opportunities. We know that at least 90% of our ministry happens there. But since you voted to not add air conditioning most of that ministry will stop for the summer after Memorial Day. I shared how I am a bit frustrated by that, especially after we spent over $100,000 to fix a window that isn't even seen. Are we living the purpose of our place well? Are we stewarding God's blessings well while sowing lavishly into what He is doing? We always need to be evaluating and adjusting as God leads us to His new things for us. That's part of the task of the Vision, Finance and Support Teams and you as part of the Body--seeking God and supporting what He's doing. That's part of our role in His Good News Delivery Co. So, since the vision, support and finance teams determined that we should not invest in air conditioning. That means God has something else for us this summer. What is it and what your part? Where is God leading us this summer to fulfill the purpose of where He has placed or is sending us for such a time as this? Where do you go in the summer and how can we connect to and minister to people there? We talked about how we are starting to see the fruit of ministry and inviting people from the race track. Where do you hang out that needs some Jesus and love? Who do you hang with that might respond to an invite. Where can we gather in extreme heat or severe weather on a Wed. night and keep our rhythm going? What does God have planned for us as He moves us from isolation to distribution. He has a plan and has placed you right where He wants to use you. How can we come alongside and minister with you? Are we living out the purpose of our place? Are we stewarding the best while sowing lavishly and investing in what God is doing? Pray into this and let us plan together the next things, summer things, where God is sending us to distribute His Good News as we live and love more like Jesus! I am really excited to here what God is saying to you and processing and planning together! We are commissioned to go and make disciples. We saw how God prepared, and when the time was right, sent His people to share the Good News with the world with great success as He led them. Where's He leading us? What doors are being opened? Pray and listen and process that with us. Let's prepare and get ready to take His Good News to the world together! Let's maximize the purpose of our place! Amen!
Harvest Prayer:
March 14 - God Is Calling You
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All of life is a process by God to restore what was lost in Eden. God is bringing us back to Himself. The whole work of Christ is aimed at this blessed reality. When we realize this and are drawn to Him, we are saved from sin and death and hell. But salvation is so much more than merely legal pardon. It opens the way for an ongoing, intimate relationship with Jesus.
Prayer is to be the running dialogue we are now offered with the God of the universe and His Son who love us with perfect, unceasing passion. It is not merely one of the things we do as a follower of Christ. It is a description of the atmosphere in which we can now live. The life-giving air we can now breathe.
We often shy away from prayer or ignore it altogether, but we must realize that prayer is not just about us, it is about Him. The Father wants to be with His children, just as you long to be with your earthly family.
Life-giving Jesus, what a joy to know that prayer is life itself, postured before Your throne of grace! Prayer is breath, our being, our privilege, and our responsibility. You have a deep desire for Your children to come to You with child-like faith and trust. Thank You for calling me to step into this conversation of love with the purpose of joining You in Your plans for people, nations and situations. May Your will be done through me as I obey Your voice and step into the gap between heaven and earth.
---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Read Psalm 24 and praise God as the King of glory, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle, the Lord almighty!
- Give thanks for God’s power poured into your life and ministries.
- Confess any attempts to live and minister by your power instead of the power of the Spirit.
- Commit yourself to being a channel of his powerful love.
- Ask God to give you clean hands, a pure heart, integrity of soul and honest speech (24:4), so his power can flow through you unhindered.
- Pray that your family and friends will seek God’s face (24:3) and be allowed into his presence through Christ. Ask God to work with power on a particular need in your home.
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| Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount. |
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Wednesday, March 13 2024
Donuts and conversations at the Bread Ministry today 10-12. 6-7:30 PM Dinner Huddle. All welcome to either or both! Come and see God at work in, through and around us!
Good Morning Patient, Peaceful, Plodding Along, Priests unto the Lord! AMEN! Which of these do you need to pray into, work on with some friends and garb a more firm hold of? All are a choice we are able and empowered to make in Christ. PTL! Are you anxious, frustrated, mired in the chaos all around you that you can do nothing about? Turn off the noise. Choose trust and joy. Refocus on what God has for you today. Patiently follow Him to His best. Are you dwelling in the past and what used to be's? Forget what lies behind. Build on the good things. Choose to press forward with Jesus to God's new things for you and us. God is on the move! Join Him! Are you running ahead or lagging behind God? Be still, know and yoke to Jesus as we plod along one step of time in faith to what's next while sowing as we go. We are all priests of God. We don't need a mediator because the High Priest, Jesus, lives in us and is interceding for us right now, even when we don't know what to pray. Call on His name and pronounce His name over you and your circumstances! Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! There's just something about that name! We can be patient, peace-filled, plodding along with Jesus instruments of His! Choose peace and joy today! Start with meditating on and praying through our devos and blogs below! God really loves you and has great plans for you that come alive as you live and love more like Jesus! Amen! Start right now and partner with some friends!
Gotta fly! Back on normal time again and slept too late until 5:15 today. Need to be on the road already. Shalom! See you soon!
ODB:
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Trapped under two floors of collapsed rubble caused by an earthquake, five-year-old Jinan, a Syrian girl, called out to rescuers as she shielded her little brother from the debris surrounding them. “Get me out of here; I’ll do anything for you,” she called heartbreakingly. “I’ll be your servant.”
Cries of distress are found throughout the Psalms: “When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord” (118:5). While we may never experience the crushing weight of earthquake-collapsed buildings, we all recognize the suffocating fears from a challenging medical diagnosis, economic hardship, uncertainty about the future, or relational loss.
In those moments we may offer bargains to God for deliverance. But God doesn’t need to be persuaded to help. He promises to answer, and while it may not be relief from our situation, He’ll be with us and on our side. Nor do we need to fear any other peril—including death. We can say with the psalmist, “The Lord is with me; he is my helper. I look in triumph on my enemies” (v. 7).
We’re not promised as dramatic a rescue as Jinan and her brother experienced, but we can trust our faithful God, who brought the psalmist “into a spacious place” (v. 5). He knows our situation and He’ll never abandon us, even in death.
By Matt Lucas
REFLECT & PRAY
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How has God shown Himself faithful when you’re in distress? How have you recognized His presence during difficult times?
Heavenly Father, I call to You knowing that You hear me. Thank You for being faithful and loving.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Psalm 118 is one of six psalms (Psalms 113-118) called the “Egyptian Hallel.” These were used when observing Passover, the time when Jewish people remember God delivering them from slavery in Egypt. Psalm 118, the final psalm in this grouping, was used to conclude the Passover meal.
A thanksgiving psalm, it celebrates God’s hesed—a significant Hebrew word meaning “loyal, faithful, or steadfast love” (translated “love” in the niv). The psalm begins and ends with an invitation to praise God because “his love endures forever” (vv. 1, 29).
In the New Testament, nearing the hours before His suffering and death, Jesus would refer to Himself as the fulfillment of Psalm 118:22—“the stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (see Matthew 21:42). His sacrifice would be the greatest demonstration of God’s faithful love.
Monica La Rose |
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UR: In God's Time
Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. - Isaiah 43:18-19 (NIV)
One spring during my morning walks, I noticed my neighbor building a brick walkway from his porch to the street. Gradually over several weeks, I watched as he prepared the ground, poured gravel, and laid bricks. Then for some reason I could not perceive, I saw that he had ripped up half the path and piled the bricks in his yard. Eventually, the path was completed, and the mess was cleaned up. If I had not been paying attention, the finished path might have seemed to appear overnight. But I had witnessed the process: the planning, measuring, waiting, ripping up, and restarting.
The construction of my neighbor’s walkway illustrates that sometimes things don’t happen overnight — even when God is doing something new in our lives and inviting us to grow from it.
Isaiah 43:18-19 reminds me to keep my eyes open for how God is at work in my life.
Growth is a process — one step at a time. We can trust that God is always doing something new. As we become more aware of God’s presence, we can watch for the new things God is doing, give thanks, and proclaim God’s great work.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear God, we praise your name and proclaim the new and wondrous works you do in our lives. Amen.
Harvest Prayer blog:
March 13 - Peace, a Fruit of the Spirit
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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. (Galatians 5:22)
The fact that peace is a fruit of the Spirit is simply biblical truth. It can become for us a matter-of-fact, intellectual truth that doesn’t impact us until we see it up close and personal.
The week I was working on this devotional, I received a blog from a former teacher and friend, Dr. Eleanor Daniel regarding the work of peace in her life. I share it here. Two days after she wrote this blog, she went home to Jesus.
“Today’s post has particularly personal meeting. It’s my 77th birthday, celebrated with great joy with my four siblings and other family and friends. But even more significantly, when we began drafting this post a couple of weeks ago, we could talk about PEACE as a fruit of the spirit in academic terms. I have found that peace is a very personal matter right now. Life is undergoing a big change. I have been on dialysis for over three years and had anticipated being on it for some time more. That is not to be. In the progression of things it is important to stop dialysis. My final dialysis treatment was this past Friday. And I have been told I can anticipate a couple of weeks to live. When I returned from the hospital three days ago, I shared the fact that I am no longer on dialysis with one of my close friends in the nursing home. She said to me, “You look different. You look well! You’re at peace, aren’t you.” I AM AT PEACE—the peace that passes understanding. And now, “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you PEACE” (Numbers 6:24-26, emphasis added). —Dr. Eleanor Daniel
When peace as a fruit of the Spirit has been cultivated and is allowed to grow in our lives, it allows us to deal with absolutely anything that comes our way. Cultivating peace means standing against that which is not peace. When anxiety rears its head, we reject it rather than embrace it. The worries that often come our way are rejected. When we are plagued by “what if?” thoughts, we turn from that, recognizing it as unprofitable thinking. Most of all, we continually come before Jesus in prayer, asking him to grant us his peace.
The fruit of the Spirit that is peace is not about the absence of violence or merely a passive acceptance of things as they are. This peace is never about changing our outward circumstances to make life easy for us. It is always about walking close to the Prince of Peace and allowing him to deal with everything we are facing. In his presence, we dwell in peace. It becomes a permanent way of life…even at its end.
Like virtually everything in the Kingdom of God, peace must be sought and asked for. Would you make the pursuit of the peace of Christ a part of your everyday prayer time?
Thank you, Lord, for giving me your Spirit and allowing the fruit of your Spirit’s presence to be growing and active in my life. I know, Lord, that each of those qualities or characteristics must be cared for and desired. I especially today take the peace you have given me through your Spirit and ask you to cause that to grow to the point where your peace overcomes everything that might attempt to steal that peace.
--Adapted from Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God (A 30-Day Journey to Experience the Shalom of Jesus) by David Butts. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise our God, who is unfailing in love and great in compassion (Psalm 51:1-2).
- Give thanks for the forgiveness of all your past, present, and future sins through Jesus’ death 2,000 years ago!
- Confess that your sin has been against God himself (51:3-5).
- Commit to the full integrity of having God’s truth and wisdom in the inner recesses of your heart (51:6).
- Ask God for full cleansing, purity, joy, and gladness (51:7-9).
- Pray for the integrity and understanding of your church’s leaders. Ask God to give them effectiveness in equipping you to lead people to God’s forgiveness and righteousness (51:13-14).
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Wednesday, March 13 2024
Don't forget...Zoom Huddle at 10! All welcome! And donut day tomorrow 10-12!
Good Morning Seen, Known, Loved, Forgiven, Humble, Followers of Jesus! You are known by God and you matter! He is with you always and leading you to His best! Humble yourself before our Lord and Savior. Confess, repent and receive His loving forgiveness. Check out all our devos and especially the Harvest Prayer blogs and prayers. We are one in Christ. We are His Body. Each of us matter and we are created, gifted and empowered to love each other, spur each other on, and grow God's Church for such a time as this. He has plans for you and us! PTL! Choose to worship, receive and follow well as you prepare yourself for the day ahead in Christ! I'm praying for you and our fellowship! Go and love well today! Amen! And cover each other in prayer as you don God's armor. Thanks!
Harvest Dave's Blog:
(Recognizing the Places of Spiritual Attack)
By Dave Butts
Several years ago I had the opportunity to write a book entitled The Devil Goes To Church. It’s been interesting to watch the responses of people who see the title for the first time. Most of them say, “The devil sure does go to church… especially mine.” Why this overwhelming awareness that Satan is somehow interested in what happens in churches? Maybe it’s because we’re seeing his hand at work in the church. This excerpt helps us understand why Satan is interested in your church and four ways that he attacks local congregations.
There is a very real reason why the devil goes to church. The Biblical worldview is of a great cosmic battle between the forces of God and the forces of Satan. Christians are those who have changed sides in the battle. Paul writes about this changing of sides in the second chapter of Ephesians: “…in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved” (vv. 2-5).
The enemy of our God has become our enemy. We are not in a neutral position. When Christians gather as the church, we become a real threat to Satan. We are there to worship, to pray, to teach and to encourage one another to live and proclaim the Kingdom of God and as such, proclaim the enemy’s defeat. It is apparent that he will do all he can to prevent that from happening….
The real danger for us is being unaware of the enemy’s schemes. We approach every difficulty in church as though it is just a natural thing. When churches divide over whether or not to use hymns or contemporary choruses, it is not natural. When the flock turns on the shepherd, it is not natural. When the saints, called to live in love, spend their time criticizing and accusing one another, it is not natural. The devil has come to church!
…There is one obvious thing about Satan’s attacks – he is consistent. He does basically the same thing over and over again in church after church, down through the ages. We might categorize them in these memorable ways: Doubt, Deceit, Discouragement, Division.
Doubt
Sowing doubt has been one of the enemy’s weapons from the very beginning. In Eden, the serpent stirred up doubt in Eve, causing her to sin. He caused her (and Adam) to doubt God’s word, asking the insidious question, “Has God said…?” You can almost hear the oily voice continuing, “You don’t really believe that do you?” The same voice, the very same voice, is asking the same question today, causing Christians to begin to doubt God and His Word.
Doubt was the weapon Satan used against Jesus in the wilderness. Every temptation was preceded by the word, “if.” “IF You are the Son of God,” the enemy whispers, attempting to instill doubt into Jesus. He still uses the same attack.
Doubt can come in many forms. Sometimes it is the frontal attack on the veracity of the Bible. There are many in church who simply do not believe that all of the Bible is truly God’s inspired Word. But sometimes the most vicious attack comes on those who do believe in the Bible, but are then led into doubt as to the power of God’s Word. “Will that really work?” people ask. Whole segments of Scripture are robbed of their power as Christians relegate them to some other day or time, and fail to appropriate them for themselves. Be careful when trying to explain away a clear meaning of Scripture. It may be that the enemy is raising doubts.
Doubt is also raised as to the nature of God. When tragedies come in life (and they do), even Christians find themselves doubting the love or mercy of God. “How could a loving God cause (or allow) such a thing to happen?” The whispering enemy is again at work to cause God’s people to doubt the goodness or power of their God. We’re sometimes told that to doubt is natural. Not for those who have tasted of the goodness, mercy and power of God! Faith is the natural response to God. Look at Job and the almost inconceivable tragedy that changed his life. Though facing great loss and with tremendous grief, still he words one of the great faith responses in Scripture, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21).
Doubt also comes to the individual believer regarding his/her position in Christ. The enemy continually works at trying to separate us from Christ. He doesn’t have the power to actually do that, but he tries to instill doubt in us as to who we are in Christ. The best way to counter that is with the truth of God’s Word. Christian author, Neil Anderson has written much on this topic and has prepared a wonderful list of scriptures that affirm who we are in Christ:
- John 1:12 – I am God’s child.
• John 15:15 – I am Christ’s friend.
• Rom. 5:1 – I have been justified.
• 1 Cor. 6:17 – I am united with the Lord and one with Him in spirit.
• 1 Cor. 6:20 – I have been bought with a price; I belong to God.
• 1 Cor. 12:27 – I am a member of Christ’s Body.
• Eph. 1:1 – I am a saint.
• Eph. 1:5 – I have been adopted as God’s child.
• Eph. 2:18 – I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit.
• Col. 1:14 – I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
• Col. 2:10 – I am complete in Christ.
Deceit
A second weapon that Satan uses against the Church is deceit. This should not surprise us since Jesus Himself described Satan as a liar. Satan delights in twisting the truth, confusing people and leading them into error. That’s rather obvious when you look at the condition of Christian doctrine, both within and without the Church. It may be as subtle as the lack of understanding concerning Christian grace or as obvious as those who deny the inspiration of the Bible.
The Apostle Paul speaks of difficult times for the Church in the last days, especially in regard to truth. We are warned of those who are “always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth, men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected” (2 Timothy 3:7-8).
Like what you are reading? This article is a part of the text from the course “The Devil Goes to Church" at PrayerU.com, the digital learning site of Harvest Prayer Ministries. For more information on this course, click here.
This passage is so clearly being lived out in the Church today, that we can easily see the enemy’s handiwork. There is no shortage of Bible studies in our churches. But we debate the meaning rather than living out the intent of God’s Word. We have fallen into the trap that James warned us about: “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (James 1:22). Studying Scripture without doing it is one of Satan’s great deceits.
This deception concerning the Word of God leaves the Church powerless and unable to function as God has intended. George Otis, Jr. delivers a scathing indictment of this powerlessness as follows:
“If ever there was a moment for the Church to stand up and be counted, that moment is now. Unfortunately, American Christendom is in the midst of a low, debilitated spiritual state. At almost every turn, supernatural power and insight have given way to religious inertia. Fellowships are growing numerically, but members are not maturing in character. There are programs aplenty, but little fear of God. Most ominously, modern believers seem oblivious to their own unhealthy condition. Having succumbed to the Laodicean Syndrome (see Revelation 3:14-17), they view their compromised state as normal – even blessed.
“A troubling, if predictable, consequence of this spiritual self-deception is that the Church has found itself unable to speak into the current crisis with any clarity or consistency. Burdened political leaders seeking direction from Christian clergy and prayer networks report receiving advice that ‘wanders all over the map.’ Needing wise men with keen understanding, these national decision makers are finding instead blind guides and flesh-clouded counsel” (George Otis, Jr. “Fading Light,” January 2003).
Discouragement
One of the main passages of Scripture that we often use to hit people over the head with to get them to attend church is Hebrews 10:25: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” The focus of the passage however is not merely attending a meeting, but in the process, encouraging one another.
One of the very practical reasons for this scriptural command is to counter the enemy’s strategy of discouraging the believers. Many faithful Christians who have withstood the more frontal attacks of Satan in the area of morality, truth and righteous living, have found themselves blind-sided by discouragement. A few words of criticism here and there, a “down” day, a little loss of fresh vision, a program that didn’t go according to plan, and suddenly we find ourselves discouraged and wondering if we can go on.
Many great women and men of God have had severe bouts with discouragement and depression. Perhaps the clearest example is that of Elijah following his great victory over the prophets of Baal. In the wake of that victory, Queen Jezebel ordered his execution. In fear, Elijah ran and ended up in this situation in 1 Kings 19:4: “He came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, LORD,’ he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’” Now that is serious discouragement from a great man of God. It took the intervention of the Lord Himself to bring Elijah out of that depressed mood.
You may not have sat under a tree with a desire to die, but discouragement can hit us all. The great word of God to the Church in this case is that we are called to be an encouragement to one another. We are to build one another up in our faith. Our gatherings need to be times of great encouragement. The church that is a place of support and edification is a place where the enemy’s plans have been thwarted.
There is an old story about discouragement called, “The Devil’s Tool Sale”:
“It was advertised that the devil was putting his tools up for sale. On that date the tools were laid out for public inspection. They had prices on them, and there were a lot of treacherous instruments: hatred, envy, jealousy, deceit, pride, lying, and so on. Laid apart from the rest of the devil’s tools was a harmless-looking tool, worn more than any of the others and priced very high.
“‘What’s the name of this tool?’ asked one of the customers.
“‘That,’ the devil replied, ‘is discouragement.’
“‘Why have you priced it so high?’
“‘Because discouragement is more useful to me than all the others. I can pry open and get inside a man’s heart with that when I cannot get near him with any other tools. It’s badly worn because I use it on almost everyone, since so few people know it belongs to me.’”
When we begin to understand that discouragement is of the enemy, we can begin to counter it using the weapons of our warfare. It is not natural for a Spirit-filled child of God to walk around discouraged. This is an attack of Satan to put us on the sidelines.
Division
Francis Frangipane writes, “If there ever was a false doctrine that was so widespread, so accepted in the Body of Christ, yet so contrary to the heart and teachings of Christ, it is the tradition of division within the Church” (Becoming the Answer to Christ’s Prayer, p. 2).
One of the most effective strategies of Satan has been to bring about division in the Body of Christ. It makes sense that the enemy would push for a splintered, divided Church, since Jesus desired exactly the opposite. The main focus of Jesus’ great high priestly prayer of John 17 was that His followers would be united. A strong, united Church is a testimony to the world of the love of God. Satan is doing all he can to destroy that testimony.
One of the main weapons we have against this attack is awareness of the enemy’s schemes. If we are unaware of the satanic nature of division, there is a greater tendency toward excusing it or just assuming that this is one of those things that happens occasionally in the church. When we see clearly though, that we as a church are under attack, then we will determine at all costs to guard against division. Members of a congregation are well-prepared to resist the enemy when, finding themselves in times of conflict, they begin to ask the question, “What is the enemy trying to do here?” Then, turning to the Lord, they ask the most important question, “Lord, how do we counter the attacks of the enemy against Your people?”
When a church finds itself facing issues that bring division, the prayer meeting is far more effective than the board meeting. Division always has a spiritual issue at its root and the enemy is always involved. It is heartfelt, heaven-sent prayer by the Body of Christ that will rout the devil and deal with the issues that are at hand.
I’ll never forget a church where I taught a prayer seminar in central Indiana. I’m so grateful I got there early that Sunday morning. As I walked into the church sanctuary, I was amazed to see about a dozen men walking around the room praying. They were laying hands on the pews and walking to the four corners of the room, praying for a new awareness of the Lord’s presence, a fresh moving of His Spirit, and for protection from the attacks of the enemy. What a powerful way for a group of Christian leaders to go on the offensive against Satan and to keep the devil from their local congregation.
How will you take your stand against the enemy?
Excerpted from The Devil Goes to Church: Combating the Everyday Attacks of Satan
by David Butts, Harvest Prayer Ministries
Harvest Prayer Blog:
March 12 - Empower Us to Love One Another
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By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)
A quick scroll through social media will tell you that, of all the things we Christians portray, loving one another is not at the top of the list. It is often not on any list of our attributes at all! This is heartbreaking to Jesus and devastating to our lives. Jesus knew that only through our unity would his relationship with the Father and the Holy Spirit be truly exhibited. He knew that without unity, we would be weak, fearful and overwhelmed by loneliness. The enemy of our souls also knows that if he can divide us, he can conquer our most powerful evangelistic plans and cause us to fail to live out our most sincere prayers. Loving one another as Christ loved the church, sacrificially, generously and humbly, can never be done on our own. Our fearful and self-centered natures must be overcome and empowered by the strength of the Holy Spirit living in us. When he moves through us, not only can mountains be moved, but stony hearts can be softened and molded to be full of his transforming love. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to make us living, breathing, and loving agents of change in our communities so many may know and live in his love.
Jesus, Lover of our souls, we are eternally grateful for the way you have loved us! You have given, served and healed our souls. You have called us your very own and have loved us unconditionally in spite of our many failures. We repent of every way we have been ruled by our own selfishness. Forgive us for making our agenda, our opinions and our preferences more important than your call to love one another. Cleanse us of the apathy and self-protectiveness that hinder our love for one another. Give us your heart and allow us to see our brothers and sisters through your eyes of compassion and understanding. Make us one as you and the Father are one. We ask you to make the love we have for one another an irresistible invitation to the world to come into your loving and welcoming family. We cannot do this on our own. We humble ourselves in your presence and ask you to fill us with your Holy Spirit so we may love as you love. Overwhelm us with your compassion today and use our lives to share your heart with a hurting world who needs the acceptance and healing that only come through you. We love you, Jesus, and want to love your children. Thank you that you long to answer this prayer and that you are remaking us to be your agents of love.
--Adapted from Praying God’s Word Over Your City: 40 Days of Prayer for A Transformed Community by Trey and Mary Anne Kent. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise God for His matchless grace.
- Give thanks that His grace is sufficient for you in every situation.
- Confess any do-it-yourself efforts in which you have rejected God’s grace and tried to go it alone.
- Commit yourself to being a channel of that grace to others.
- Ask that God will meet your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19) and that His grace will be poured out abundantly.
- Lift up the names of the leaders of your nation, state/province, and community, asking that the Lord’s strength and wisdom come to full maturity in each one as they learn to rely on Him.
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UR: God Sees Us
[Jesus] gave them strict orders that no one should know what had happened. Then he told them to give her something to eat. - Mark 5:43 (CEB)
In Mark 5, Jesus exorcised a demon, healed a woman of her hemorrhage, and raised a little girl from the dead. I would have guessed that after all that, Jesus would have rubbed his hands together and called it a day. Or maybe he would have sat back among a crowd to recount all that he had done. That is what I would have done. But that was not Jesus’ way.
Jesus was more concerned about the risen girl’s needs. She was not a project to him; she was not a means to make himself look better. Jesus saw the young girl as a person with needs and fears. While everyone else was ecstatic and shocked, Jesus saw that the girl was hungry and told her mother and father to give her some food.
In God’s eyes we are not means to an end. We are not just one of many pieces in the puzzle. To God, each one of us is a person with our own needs and fears. God is interested in even the tiniest details of our lives. In every moment, remember that there is nothing too trivial to bring to God.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear God, may we always remember that you are aware of our struggles every moment of our lives. As your people, we thank you for always caring about us. Amen.
C.S.
ODB:
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Near the dawn of the twentieth century, Mary McDowell lived worlds apart from the brutal stockyards of Chicago. Although her home was just twenty miles away, she knew little about the horrific labor conditions that prompted workers in the stockyards to strike. Once she learned of the difficulties faced by them and their families, McDowell moved in and lived among them—advocating for better conditions. She ministered to their needs, including teaching children at a school in the back of a small shop.
Standing up for better conditions for others—even when not directly impacted—is something Esther did as well. She was the queen of Persia (Esther 2:17) and had a different set of privileges than her Israelite people who’d been dispersed throughout Persia as exiles. Yet Esther took up the cause of the Israelites in Persia and risked her life for them, saying, “I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish” (4:16). She could have remained silent, for her husband, the king, didn’t know she was Jewish (2:10). But, choosing not to ignore her relatives’ pleas for help, she worked courageously to reveal an evil plot to destroy the Jews.
We may not be able to take on massive causes like Mary McDowell or Queen Esther, but may we choose to see the needs of others and use what God has provided to help them.
By Katara Patton
REFLECT & PRAY
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How are you using what you possess to help others? What role can you play in providing for those who may not live near you?
Dear God, please give me the wisdom and courage to serve those in need.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Ezra and Nehemiah give the account of the small remnant of the Jews who returned to Judea after the Babylonian exile. Esther records the events of the Jews who chose to remain in Babylon. This story took place in Susa (modern Iran) during the reign of Persian King Xerxes (Esther 1:1-2, 486–465 bc). Interestingly, Esther is the only book in the Bible where God isn’t mentioned. Yet, it speaks volumes of God’s providential care and protection when He used a young Jewish woman to save her people from legally mandated genocide. This story explains the origin of the festival of Purim, where Jews commemorate being saved from extermination. Haman had cast a lot (pur) to determine on which day to destroy the Jews (9:24); the festival is a reminder that God is the one in control (vv. 20-32).
Examine how God used women in the Bible.
K. T. Sim |
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TWFYT:
nm?
Wednesday, March 13 2024
Week ahead:
Tue 10 am: Zoom Huddle. All welcome
Wed 10-12 Donuts and conversation day at the Bread Ministry; 6PM Dinner Huddle. All welcome to either or both
Thurs 6:30 PM: Support Team Zoom
Sat. 10-1 Clothing Closet
Sun Worship 10 AM
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Good Morning Focused, Firm, Faithful, Followers of Jesus! He is the Way! We are followers of The Way! Even though His ways are not like ours, they are available and approachable as we still ourselves, knock, seek, listen receive, process and move towards following His ways better. Success in this Christian life comes as we focus on God and what He is doing, stand firm amidst the storms, remain faithful and persevere in faith as we follow Jesus to His custom made plans for us. He is faithful and true and His will will be done in, through and around us as we invite Him in, turn off the noise, listen and follow well. That comes one step of faith at a time. It's very helpful to have others to process with, pray with, plan with, and go with. It's actually God's plan for us. What's God saying to you today as you open your Bibles and process with others? What are you going to do about it? Stay focused--set your jaw like Jesus in determination to follow His way. he has some awesome plans for you today, this week, this year, and for the rest of your life! PTL!
Start with the Harvest Prayer blog and then check out our devos below prayerfully as they teach us that storms will come and to stand firm and keep building on the solid Rock; Refocus on the Creator. Stop worrying! Turn off that noise and lift some praise. Enjoy life as you serve, love and go like Jesus! Yes, turn off the noise, cast anxiety, refocus, and ask God to bring you to and dreams and visions of His plans for you and us to enact. God commands us to fear not and stand firm and promises to be at work for you today. And the reminder comes through the Word for You Today about disciple making and teaching our kids, grandkids, spiritual children and flock in ways they can understand, learn, grow and go in confident faith. Teaching kids in this way is like pastoring and shepherding God's flock or your small group too. Teaching well isn't about force feeding, bully pulpits, and out-of-date methods. It's all about finding ways people can learn, embrace truth, internalize and grow according to their learning style. We are all unique creations of God with unique purposes, yet part of the same Body. Yesterday we discussed how to grow into the next things God has for you and our church: Become You (be who you are created to be in God's image and the new creation you are in Christ), Become more like Jesus (He lives in you and is leading you to become more like Him), Follow the Holy Spirit. (The Holy Spirit is our gift-giving, empowering gift to help us become who we are created to be, do what we are created to do, encourage others, learn, grow, and build God's Church), Do life with others (we are created, gathered and sent as co-laborers and we all have unique rolls), and all of that leads us to become a dynamic movement of God where He has placed us, as we are, for such a time as this! PTL!
So what's God saying to you today? What will you do about it? Who will you process with? Pray into that and actively pursue God's next and best things for you and us! Pray for His dreams and visions to come and be processed well and for His will and ways to be done in, through and around you. Amen! I can't wait to celebrate al he will do in the year ahead as His ways and good and perfect will come alive in and through you and us! His best is yet to come and we are pursuing it earnestly! Come and see and rejoice with us! Enjoy this life in Christ we have been given! Amen! Be still and know that He is God!
Harvest Prayer:
March 11 - Entering Into the Presence
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“My prayers seem like they hit the ceiling and bounce right back at me,” said one discouraged man. We all understand this. There’s nothing more disheartening than dis-connected prayer. It’s the reason many have given up on intercession. Full of fresh resolve, they jump into prayer but never find a real sense of God’s presence. It seems like they are talking into the air. A steady diet of such prayer will make them spiritually confused and before long, they’ll stop praying altogether. Such praying is explainable. We have not learned how to enter in.
Very much of so-called prayer, both public and private, is not unto God. In order that a prayer should be really unto God, there must be a definite and conscious approach to God when we pray. In very much of our prayer, there is really but little thought of God. Our mind is taken up with the thought of what we need and is not occupied with the thought of the mighty and loving Father of whom we are seeking these gifts.
If, then, we would pray aright, the first things that we should do is to see … that we really get into His very presence. Before a word of petition is offered, we should have the definite and vivid consciousness that we are talking to God and should believe that He is listening to our petition and is going to grant the thing that we ask of Him. This is only possible by the Holy Spirit’s power, so we should look to the Holy Spirit to really lead us into the presence of God and should not be hasty in words until he has actually brought us there.
When Jesus gave his most comprehensive training on prayer in Matthew 6:5-15, He spent more time instructing us about how to enter into prayer than He did giving us the model prayer. But we rarely focus on these essential, preparatory elements. We charge into prayer and quickly reel off a laundry list of things we want God to do. Failing to realize Who we’re approaching, we never really engage God’s presence consciously. Studying Matthew 6:5-10 gives us indispensable insight about how to enter. We must learn how to approach God rightly in prayer before we pray.
Lord Jesus, help me to pay attention to the instructions You gave to Your people through Your word! May I never pray to impress others, but instead, spend time with the Father in quiet, out of the way places as often as I can! Give me Your words, so that I don’t babble mindlessly. Help me to remember that my You know exactly what I need before I even ask You! May I keep Your name holy, may I continually ask for Your Kingdom to come soon, and may Your will alone be done on earth as it is in heaven!
---Adapted from Simply Prayer by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise God, the giver of all good gifts (Mt. 7:11).
- Thank him for the greatest gift of all: his Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior (Lk. 22:19).
- Confess any lack of thankfulness for all of God’s gifts to you.
- Commit yourself to giving your time, talents, and resources for the gospel.
- Ask God to grant you a heart of generosity (Lk. 6:38).
- Pray by name for one unsaved friend or loved one. Ask God to open this person’s heart to receive the indescribable gift of salvation through faith alone (2 Cor. 9:15; Eph. 2:8-9).
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UR: Strength in the Storm
Jesus said, “Everybody who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise builder who built a house on bedrock.” - Matthew 7:24 (CEB)
Where I live, we have had a very wet summer with some violent thunderstorms. The rain has been relentless, trees have been uprooted, and rivers are swollen and overflowing. During one storm water gushed under the back door of our home. This made me think of Jesus’ story about the two men who each built a house: one on the sand and one on the rock.
No doubt the sky was clear and bright when the first man built his house on the sand. He wasn’t contemplating any storms. The other man considered that storms must inevitably come to all of us, so he built his house on the rock. When the first storm came, the house on the sand collapsed, while the one on the rock withstood the weather.
If we keep spiritually strong by reading the Bible, praying, engaging in spiritual practices, and worshiping with fellow believers in Christ, we can recover from adverse circumstances more easily. When our lives are grounded and firmly set on the Rock and his teachings, we can weather the storms that come our way.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear Lord, help us faithfully to build our lives on you and what you are teaching us. Help us to be bold in our witness and to stand strong with you. Amen.
ODB:
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I recently read a novel about a woman who refuses to acknowledge she has terminal cancer. When Nicola’s exasperated friends force her to face the truth, the reason for her avoidance emerges. “I’ve wasted my life,” she tells them. Though born with talents and wealth, “I made nothing of my life. I was sloppy. I never stuck at anything.” The prospect of leaving the world now, feeling she’d achieved little, was too painful for Nicola to contemplate.
I was reading Ecclesiastes around the same time and found the contrast stark. Its Teacher won’t let us avoid the reality of the grave, “the realm of the dead, where you are going” (9:10). And while this is hard to face (v. 2), it can lead us to value every moment we have now (v. 4), intentionally enjoying our food and families (vv. 7–9), working purposefully (v. 10), taking adventures and risks (11:1, 6), and doing it all before the God we’ll one day answer to (v. 9; 12:13–14).
Nicola’s friends point out that her faithfulness and generosity to them proves her life hasn’t been a waste. But maybe the Teacher’s advice can save us all from such a crisis at the end of our lives: remember our Creator (12:1), follow His ways, and embrace every opportunity to live and love that today He provides.
By Sheridan Voysey
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How will you take delight in today’s simple, God-honoring joys? What one good thing have you yet to do or attempt?
Loving God, thank You for today and the gifts it holds. I’ll enjoy its simple joys and embrace its opportunities as an act of worship to You.
Learn more about the book of Ecclesiastes.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The book of Ecclesiastes includes many sayings that compel readers to affirm that life “under the sun” is complex and “utterly meaningless” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3). The writer reminds us that life on earth includes times of head-scratching, groaning, and pain. His realism is quite sobering, even jarring. Yet, his observations and life assessments also include heartwarming truth like what’s expressed in Ecclesiastes 9:7-10. In his book Something New Under the Sun, Ray Pritchard uses the chapter title “Have a Blast While You Last” for these verses. Indeed, life is to be embraced, treasured, and celebrated as a precious gift from an awesome Creator. The apostle Paul reminds us that God “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). We must never forget that—along with our rich spiritual heritage in Jesus—our provisions from a good God include food and drink (Ecclesiastes 9:7), loving companionship (v. 9), and worthwhile labors (vv. 9-10).
Arthur Jackson |
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C.S.
He Loves Me Most:
TWFYT:
Don 
Wednesday, March 13 2024
Did you turn your clocks ahead? See at 10 am DST! Come and worship! Pray for our worship time as we continue to discuss what Church is and our parts in God's Body. Note: new member installation will be in two weeks on Palm Sun. If you are interested in joining our church (all are welcome) talk to Sarah or me. That's the day of our brunch after worship too! Sign up today!
Good Morning Bright-Eyed and Bushy-Tailed Worshipers! Well, maybe some of us have to pronounce that, choose that, and pray into that on this spring-ahead Sun. But God knows, carries us and wants us to gather and worship! Rise and shine and give God the Glory! This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it! It is also the day of rest and I'm sure some of us will be napping after church today. I was up at 4 so maybe a nap before church for me? I'm praying for you and for the Holy Spirit to keep things lively during our worship time.
What an awesome morning with the Lord I had today! As always, He stirs me awake with thoughts and praises of Him and continues as I sit at His feet in my prayer closet and chew on His Word and listen to His still small voice. I'm always blessed by my time with the Lord! If you don't set aside some tome with the Lord, I urge you to do so. Start small, but start. Open His Word prayerfully. Sit with some devotionals and listen. There is no better way to start your day (or end it) then with time with God! The Pause that truly refreshes! Check out the Harvest prayer blog at the bottom speaking into this quality time with God--time well spent!
There are sorta two threads thru our devotionals today, yet, they sorta tie together too. Check them out below. Do you see the threads? How is the Holy Spirit threading them to you and your situation? What's God saying to you? Who might you process that with? And remember, we are all masterpieces of God and He is quilting us together for His purposes and glory. Amen! How might that be revealed in His teaching to you today? Spring is springing and new life is poking through the ground and budding. We can see it outside. Are you seeing it in our Body as well? Behold and worship! God is restoring the earth and us! PTL! We have stood firm through the winter. We are practicing for the hard times to come too. Keep refocusing with praise and gratitude. God is at work always and He is with us. Trust and follow well! Let the Holy Spirit fill your hearts and minds this morning and lead you into all truth and help you pray too. He is in you, ready and waiting--even in your weariness! Rejoice! Be still and know! God never sleeps! He is on the move! And He has some great custom plans for you and that can include some rest too! See you soon! Shalom!
Upper Room: Handmade Gift
This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. - Psalm 118:24 (KJV)
Have you ever been given something made by hand? Perhaps someone gifted you a meal from their kitchen, a flower arrangement from their garden, or a one-of-a-kind craft. Similarly, each day
is a gift from our Creator that we can receive with gladness.
Sometimes the person receiving the gift may not always understand the time and effort required to make a handmade gift. And we may not feel like rejoicing each and every day when we are facing trials or feeling ill. But before my feet hit the floor in the morning, I practice reciting this verse: “This is the day the Lord has made, and I will rejoice and be glad in it!”
Each morning I choose to be thankful and pray that my presence will be a reflection of the light of our Creator, the maker of heaven and earth. Let us give thanks for God’s gift of today and enter each day with a spirit of rejoicing.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Creator of heaven and earth, help us to know you and to recognize the works of your hands. We will rejoice and be glad, giving thanks for the gift of each day. Amen. Our Daily Bread:
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My three-year old son, Xavier, squeezed my hand as we entered the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. Pointing to a life-size sculpture of a humpback whale suspended from the ceiling, he said, “Enormous!” His wide-eyed joy continued as we explored each exhibit. We laughed as the otters splish-splashed during feeding time. We stood in silence in front of a large glass aquarium window, mesmerized by the golden-brown jellyfish dancing in the electric blue water. “God made every creature in the ocean,” I said, “just like He made you and me.” Xavier whispered, “Wow.”
In Psalm 104, the psalmist acknowledged God’s abounding creation and sang, “In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures” (v. 24). He declared, “There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number—living things both large and small” (v. 25). He proclaimed God’s generous and satisfying provision for all He created (vv. 27–28). He also affirmed that God has determined the days of each one’s existence (vv. 29–30).
We can join the psalmist in singing this declaration of devotion: “I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live” (v. 33). Every creature that exists, from the big to the small, can lead us to praise because God made them all.
By Xochitl Dixon
REFLECT & PRAY
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When has exploring the wonderful world God made led you to praise Him? How has He used His creation to deepen your faith in His power and provision?
All-powerful Creator and Sustainer of all, You’re so worthy of all my praise!
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Psalm 104:3-30 parallels the creation account in Genesis; for instance, verses 25-26 mirror Genesis 1:20-28 and verses 27-30 pair with Genesis 1:29-31. Psalm 104:32, however, evokes the scene not at creation but when Israel gathered as “the Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai” (Exodus 19:20). Having recounted God’s works of creation, the psalmist praises His awesome power: “He who looks at the earth, and it trembles, who touches the mountains, and they smoke” (Psalm 104:32). This matches Exodus 19:18: “The smoke billowed up from [Sinai] like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently.”
Tim Gustafson |
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The Word for You Today:
Charles Stanley:
Harvest Blog:
March 10 - Leave Space for God to Speak
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Remember that a major part of prayer is listening for God to speak. We need not stress out about filling time with words when we pray (“I want to pray for thirty minutes so I’d better have enough things to talk about”). Reserve space for listening. Perhaps God will speak as you meditate on a verse of Scripture or as you wrestle over what to do in a particular situation. Maybe a thought will come to you while pausing in your prayers, and you will feel peace settling over you.
I pause often when I pray—to leave space for God to speak. Because my longest time of prayer is early in the morning, I have even started to drift off to sleep as I paused. At first, I stressed out about that and chided myself for being so weak. But then I realized I shouldn’t sweat it. Early Christian fathers described that as “spiritual drowsiness” and felt it was a good thing.
An important principle that keeps us from struggling in prayer is knowing that we can’t get it wrong, because the Holy Spirit prays what we should be praying for. “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will” (Romans 8:26-27).
I don’t believe this verse teaches that we need never pray because the Holy Spirit is praying for us. Rather, I believe it means that the Holy Spirit takes our feeble attempts to pray, our bumbling words, our incoherent and wandering thoughts, and turns them into powerful prayer.
Holy Spirit, how grateful I am for Your participation in the process of prayer! When I don’t know what to say or how to say what my heart wants to express, You are there to interpret and to complete! If I am weary, or fall asleep in prayer, keep my heart in perfect peace, knowing that You are always awake! You know the mind of the Father when I can’t discern how to pray. Help me to trust that You will guide my thoughts into the path of God’s desires rather than my own. Help me to be a better listener in prayer so that I can clearly hear answers to questions I have asked or to discern the Father’s will. Strengthen my spiritual hearing so that I am able to distinguish the still, small voice that brings peace and reassurance of God’s great love.
--Adapted from The Power of Personal Prayer (Learning to Pray with Faith and Purpose) by Jonathan Graf. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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| Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount. |
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My Prayer Starters:
Wednesday, March 13 2024
Remember to spring ahead tonight! Turn clocks ahead and see you at church or on Zoom at 10 AM tomorrow!
Good Morning Zealous Servants and Followers of Jesus Christ, Our Lord AND Shepherd! Is He both Lord and Shepherd to you? Are you zealous for Him and His ways, even in reaching and discipling others? Is your excitement for your relationship with Jesus contagious? We can know and live out the joy of our salvation. That can be very contagious. Our bishop has challenged us to become a dynamic movement of God led by pastors and laity (that's you) who have a burning passion for God and a missionary zeal to reach the lost. Zealous servants. Missionary zeal. Fervent followers. Earnestness. Those are words and concepts rarely put into practice today. They seem so, well, old-fashioned. But that doesn't make them or the solid work ethic concepts out of date in God's Kingdom. In fact we are commanded to do these things. Here's the cool part, they're God's best for us and as we do them excitement, satisfaction in a life well lived in Christ and joy grow and become contagious. We are experiencing some of this at St. Matts. right now. PTL! And thank you all for doing your part in God's Good News Delivery Co. Keep it up! Check out our devos below tying to this as well. Are you excited? I am! God is really on the move. We have been faithful followers as He leads. There's much more to discover and do, but we are on our way. God is on the move! Hallelujah!
Check out this song as you worship, pray, listen and receive today: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPB9ENSd1Xc Let's celebrate all God is doing and share that excitement! God is on the move! Jump into the ocean of blessings! Saturate in His Word and prayer. Celebrate and be glad in this day. And prepare your hearts to worship tomorrow! I'll do my best to keep it upbeat and alive since turning the clocks ahead my have some of us dragging a bit! (For me, I finally get back on schedule and may be able to sleep until 4 or 5! Hallelujah! However, I get depressed that summer heat is already here. Pray for me please!) Pray for us to rejoice and get excited to follow Jesus into His plans for us this summer. They will be great! So will your part as it's custom made for you! Rejoice and be glad in the part God made for you! Our Daily Bread: (Check out Roams 12:9-16 and meditate on that today! Love, never be lacking in zeal, be joyful in hope, patient in affliction and faithful in prayer (that ties to harvest prayer blog below), bless the needy and practice hospitality. Any of that sound familiar? Share the excitement!!!)
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The first time we met our neighbor Henry, he pulled a well-worn Bible out of a bag he’d been carrying. Eyes sparkling, he asked if we’d like to discuss Scripture. We nodded, and he flipped to some highlighted passages. He showed us a notebook full of his observations and said he’d also created a computer presentation full of other related information.
Henry went on to tell us how he’d come from a difficult family situation and then, alone and at his worst, he accepted Jesus’ death and resurrection as the foundation of his faith (Acts 4:12). His life had changed as the Spirit helped him follow the Bible’s principles. Although Henry had committed his life to God years ago, his enthusiasm was fresh and powerful.
Henry’s zeal inspired me—someone who’d walked with Jesus many years—to consider my spiritual passion. The apostle Paul wrote: “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord” (Romans 12:11). That seems like a tall order, unless I’m allowing Scripture to nurture the kind of attitudes that reflect an ongoing thankfulness for all that Jesus has done for me.
Unlike the emotional highs and lows we experience in life, zeal for Christ comes from an ever-expanding relationship with Him. The more we learn about Him, the more precious He becomes and the more His goodness floods our souls and spills out into the world.
By Jennifer Benson Schuldt
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How do you think Jesus feels when He sees that you’re excited about Him? What’s the relationship between thankfulness and zeal?
Dear Jesus, please revive my excitement over knowing You!
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Paul’s letter to the Roman churches can be divided into two parts—doctrine (chs. 1–11) and duty (chs. 12–16). The apostle instructs believers in Jesus not to conform to the pattern of this world but to live a transformed life that honors Christ (12:1-2). Romans 12:9-21 reads like the snippets of isolated sayings that we find in the book of Proverbs. But Paul is still talking about a renewed mind and a transformed life. The clearest demonstration of this is Christlike love (vv. 9-10), zealous service (vv. 11-12), and generous giving (v. 13). He tells us how we’re to relate to both believers and nonbelievers in a world of hate and revenge. Loving others—particularly enemies—is a key test of the reality of a renewed mind and a transformed life (v. 21).
K. T. Sim |
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The Upper Room: Something to Offer. (we are a new creation! PTL! Die to self, take up cross, shed the old, and follow Jesus to His new things His way in His timing! We all have something to offer and a part to play in His Body and Kingdom! What's yours?)jj)
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being! - 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NRSVUE)
I am a widower, and I have lived by myself for more than 10 years after 35 years of marriage to a wonderful woman. My wife had done all our cooking, so thankfully, I have discovered a salad which I really enjoy. Every day when I’m at home I make this same salad. Recently, while offering thanks to God for my salad, several insights came to mind.
My salad has the following ingredients: spinach from California, apple from Washington, tomato from Texas, avocado from Mexico, prunes from Chile, tuna from Thailand, olive oil from Greece, and lemon juice from Florida. My salad also has beautiful color, texture, taste, and nourishment. It brings together ingredients from at least four continents. Every ingredient is distinctive, and if any ingredient were absent, I would miss it immediately.
In a similar way, each person is distinctive. Each of us has something special to offer, and each of us is missed when our participation is absent. Our uniqueness means that we can offer something fresh to the world.
What freshness is God calling us to bring to the lives of those around us today?
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank you, God, for the gift of life in all its variety and color. May we bring the freshness of your love in Jesus Christ to the world. Amen.
Charles Stanley reminds us that God is always speaking and at work. He has great plans for you that you can know and do. Seek first the Kingdom of God and listen, watch, receive, process (and with others), plan and act. What are some custom plans God has for you? Take the next step in faith and experience His faithfulness and grow in trust and joy. Don't forget to share those stories too!
The Word for You Today. Choose the right attitude. We get to do these things that are God's best, lead to joy and soul satisfaction! How cool!
Harvest Prayer Blog! Keep praying! That is one of the most critical parts of our Good News Delivery Co. It something we can all develop into--prayer warrior! I value the prayers that are lifted for me, Karen and our fellowship! I can feel them and we see God answering! PTL! Keep praying!
Friday, March 08 2024
Thank God I'm Forgiven Friday! PTL! and AMEN!
Good Morning Forgiven, Redeemed, Very Loved Always, Followers of Peace! That is and can be you/us. Who needs to know these things, reminded of their availability, or see us living these out? We are so loved! We have the assurance of our salvation, forgiveness, and eternal destination. PTL! We know the Prince of Peace. He even lives in us! PTL! We can know and follow His peace and, even in the storms, receive His peace beyond understanding. PTL! Oh what love! Yes we are very loved! PTL! And remember God is using and sending us to whoever will believe--for He so loved the world! All who will believe can know this love, assurance and peace! Amen! He's drawing some to His forgiving, redeeming, secure, shalom-filled, love and relationship. We are commissioned to go bring this love alive to all who will believe and we all have a custom made part. PTL! Pray into and meditate on that as you spend some time with God in worship and stillness--in His shalom today. Our devos below speak into all of this. Be still, know, worship, seek and receive. Then process with some close friends. God really loves you! He has great plans for you to discover today as well! PTL! Shalom! Shalom
C.S.
Harvest Prayer Blog and prayer starters:
March 8 - Be Found at Peace
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So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him. (2 Peter 3:14)
I’m convinced that one of the distinguishing marks of the End-Times Church will be peace. In Peter’s second epistle he speaks of those who scoff at biblical prophecy regarding the Lord’s return. Then Peter moves into a harrowing description of what will happen: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare” (2 Peter 3:10).
These are all things that should bring great fear to those who read and believe. Yet followers of Jesus should be those who actually “look forward to the day of God” and live in peace even in the midst of chaos and confusion. It is a peace that Jesus provides for us that is not based on circumstances around us or even feelings within us. It is a peace that comes from his presence in our lives. It is a peace that allows us to walk through even extremely difficult circumstances because he is with us.
I remember my dad telling me how the troop ship he was in during World War 2, while on its way to England in a convoy, was attacked by German U-boats. Obviously there was not a thing that soldiers on a troop ship could do to defend against submarine attack. So Dad and some of his friends did the only thing they knew to do . . . they prayed. Down in the bunk rooms of the ship, they gathered on the bunks to pray and ask God’s protection. Dad said that was the only sense of peace they felt on the whole trip. Not a ship was lost and they made it safely to England.
Your fears may not be about the end-times, and likely do not deal with submarine attacks, but we all face fear and anxiety of some sort. It may be relationships in your family, it might be financial problems, or even generalized anxiety over life itself. I want you to know that Jesus is willing and ready to walk with you through your shadows and bring you to his light in peace. It doesn’t always mean that your circumstances change, but it does mean you face them from a whole different perspective. It’s the peaceful presence of Christ that makes all the difference.
Lord, I am so grateful for your presence that brings peace. It is so easy for me to fall back into my own fears, insecurities and anxieties, while all along you were there, waiting for me to turn to you. Forgive me for forgetting your readiness and love. I turn to you now for the peace that I desperately need in my walk through this world.
--Adapted from Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God (A 30-Day Journey to Experience the Shalom of Jesus) by David Butts. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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TWFYT:
UR: God's Unfailing Love
In [Christ Jesus] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. - Ephesians 3:12 (NIV)
I awoke with questions in my mind: What if my mom had not gotten sick? What is life like for her now — for my father and our whole family? What if we didn’t have to deal with this illness in the middle of a pandemic?
My mom’s first online consultation with the gastroenterologist was more than a year ago. What we thought to be a simple diagnosis of an upset stomach ended with a series of tests and medical procedures, including two biopsies. The initial biopsy suggested a benign condition. But my mom’s stomach pain persisted, and she needed another series of tests and hospitalizations. Finally, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
When my “what if” questions became long and tiring, I began to pray. I did not want to dwell on those questions which were not only unanswerable but unhealthy and unhelpful. As I began crying out to the Lord for help, suddenly I felt at peace. My heart felt the love of God and the love of my family. Daily video calls with my mom and other family members became an expression of love and devotion for one another, and I enjoyed seeing their happy faces.
God hears our cries for help and comforts us. When we pray, God will draw us closer, giving us an awareness of our Creator’s unfailing love and living hope.
ODB:
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The Brisbane City Hall in Australia was a dazzling 1920s project. White stairs boasted marble from the same quarry Michelangelo used for his David sculpture. The tower reflected Venice’s St. Mark’s Basilica, and the copper dome was the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. The builders intended for a massive Angel of Peace to adorn the pinnacle, but there was a problem: no money left. Plumber Fred Johnson came to the rescue. He used a toilet cistern, an old lamp post, and bits of scrap metal to craft the iconic orb that’s crowned the tower for nearly one hundred years.
Much like Fred Johnson and his use of what he had, we can join God’s work with whatever we have—large or small. When He asked Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, Moses balked: “What if they do not . . . listen to me?” (Exodus 4:1) God answered with a simple question: “What is that in your hand?” (v. 2). Moses held a staff, a simple stick. God told him to throw the staff on the ground, “and it became a snake” (v. 3). Then He instructed Moses to pick up the snake, and it turned back into a staff. All Moses needed to do, God explained, was carry the staff and trust Him to do the rest. Remarkably, He would use that stick in Moses’ hand to rescue Israel from the Egyptians (7:10–12; 17:5–7).
What we have might not seem like much to us, but with God, whatever we have will be enough. He takes our ordinary resources and uses them for His work.
By Winn Collier
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What small thing can you use for God? Why is it vital that you trust Him with it?
Dear God, I surrender what I have to You.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
In Exodus 3–4, Moses’ humanity is on full display. This great prophet of God is also a human being we can relate to. In fear, he refuses to accept God’s commission to lead His people out of slavery. This occurs even as God performs miracles in Moses’ presence—the bush unconsumed by fire (3:1-3) and his staff turning into a snake (4:3). When Moses’ staff becomes a serpent, he reacts as most of us would: “he ran from it” (v. 3). He did, however, show courage and faith when he grabbed the snake by the tail (v. 4). The safest way to hold a venomous snake (don’t do it!) is behind the head, preventing it from striking. The power wasn’t in Moses’ staff, nor was it in himself. The power was in the God of Israel, who was infinitely greater than the gods of Egypt, including the snake.
Tim Gustafson |
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Friday, March 08 2024
Good Morning Becoming More Like Jesus Children and Servants of the Most High God! We are saved by fait and this is a gift and act of great grace and mercy of God! PTL! We are created in God's image for His purposes. We are made new in Christ when we receive the gift of salvation. We get the Holy Spirit in us and he brings gifts to help us to grow to our fullest potential and He empowers us to go share the Gospel and bring Good News as we go do the things we are created to do. How blessed are we? Tell God today all about your thankfulness, your dreams about His plans for you, your struggles, and your willingness to repent, correct, grow and follow Him. Then receive His shalom, wisdom, and directions with right and willing hearts, hands and feet. The next step is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead you to the next step. then take it in faith. What's God saying to you? What's His plan for you today? What will you do about it? He is at work all around you and has some very good plans awaiting your discovery and right heart. Come and see! The more you abandon your old nature and step into your new, the more peace you will know too. Know Christ and know peace. Know Christ and make Him known is the EC mission statement. It's both and. We are created for a purpose. We matter. God has custom plans for each of us and we grow in peace and receive many blessings as we go bless and fulfill our purposes.
Check out Our Daily Bread below about doing good. Are you a do gooder? That often has a bad rap in this world. But not in God's. That is part of our created purpose. Love God, others, serve in love, make disciples and enjoy this life. That is Jesus' easy yoke. And the more focused we are on that, the more joy and satisfaction we will find in this life. Are you good-works ready? Prepare your heart right now!
The Upper Room asks an important question: If you knew you had 40 days to live, what would you choose to do? For me, that would be to be more earnest about being about my Father's business and loving on others. Their premise is: why aren't we doing that all the time? They talk about Lent (one of those man-made holidays moving us to do something we should be doing already all the time) They ask what you are giving up. My thought is the better question: What are you giving? How about starting with yourself, your heart, your gratitude, your availability? Yes giving up sin is critical in being prepared to be used by God. But confession and repentance should be a daily thing as we die to self, take up cross daily (crucifying our sins) and following Jesus. As should being about our Father and His business. Put off that old nature more fully today and step into your new one more fully as you work on becoming more like Jesus. (I hesitate to share the UR because it feels legalistic to me. But it may be profitable to remind us of our daily call to crucify self.)
The Word for You Today a two day teaching on moving from failure to success. We are all failures. We all fall short of God's standards. Yet, we are forgiven, cleansed and purified as we confess and repent or begin the journey of repentance. PTL for His grace, mercy and forgiveness and for using us as we are and growing us to our fuller potential. He wants us to succeed and He helps if we seek him, humble ourselves and allow Him to. Keep persevering in faith. Keep striving towards Christlikeness and your fullest potential. Aim high! Aspire to the big things God has for you as you take each step of faith and do the little things along the way. No matter how dire things may appear, we know what lies ahead--victory in Jesus and eternal life with Him. This life is preparation for the next. It's promised that we will encounter very hard times before we get there. Those hard times produce character, grow faith and mold us into God's masterpieces and harvesting machines. He does really love you and have great custom made things for you! rejoice. Stand firm! Journey forward in Christ today! And find some allies to journey with! We are better together! And we are more than overcomers! Amen!
Come join us tonight as we feast, fellowship, study, pray and grow in our journey. And/or find some friends and do the same. We are an Acts 2:42 church growing in Christ and doing more of His plans His way. come and see! Come and experience how much fun it is to partner with others as we grow and go love! I'm praying for you and us! Ask God who He may want you to bring along! Pray for our Bread Ministry today and for us to connect to those God is sending and that they would feel and want to know more about His love. Thanks! Shalom!
ODB:
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Though he didn’t normally carry money with him, Patrick sensed God was leading him to tuck a five-dollar bill in his pocket before leaving home. During the lunch hour at the school where he worked, he understood how God had prepared him to meet an urgent need. In the midst of the lunchroom buzz, he heard these words: “Scotty [a child in need] needs $5 to put on his account so he can eat lunch for the rest of the week.” Imagine the emotions Patrick experienced as he gave his money to help Scotty!
In Titus, Paul reminded believers in Jesus that they weren’t saved “because of righteous things [they] had done” (3:5), but they should “be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good” (v. 8; see v. 14). Life can be full, extremely busy, and hectic. Attending to our own well-being can be overwhelming. Yet, as believers in Jesus, we’re to be “good-works ready.” Rather than being overwhelmed by what we don’t have and can’t do, let’s think about what we do have and can do as God helps us. In doing so, we get to help others at the point of their needs, and God is honored. “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
By Arthur Jackson
REFLECT & PRAY
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What can hinder good-works readiness in your life? How can you reorder your life to be available for helping people who are in need?
Dear Father, please forgive me for the times I’ve ignored opportunities to do good. Help me to be more available to help others.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Titus, Paul’s gentile convert and protégé (Galatians 2:1), traveled with him on his missionary journeys (Titus 1:4). Paul had left him in Crete to strengthen the church (v. 5)—to teach believers how to live lives that honored Jesus, to set standards for leadership (ch. 1), and to encourage Christ-honoring and gracious behaviors within the church family and the unbelieving community (chs. 2–3). Paul reminds us that “[God] saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (3:5). We’re “justified by his grace” (v. 7). We’re not saved by our good works, but we’re saved so we can do good works. Believers in Jesus must “be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good” (v. 8). We’re reminded that as “a people that are [God’s] very own,” we must be “eager to do what is good” (2:14).
K. T. Sim |
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UR: Let God In
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. - Matthew 4:1 (NIV)
What are you giving up for Lent? I know I am supposed to give up something in order to reflect on Jesus’ 40 days in the desert and to prepare for the commemoration of Jesus’ death and resurrection. My immediate answer for way too many years has been “chocolate” and “playing pickleball.” But if I knew I was going to die in 40 days, giving up food and fun would not make the list at all! So, what would I give up?
I’d give up wasting time. I would focus on all the people I haven’t seen or talked to enough and tell them how much they mean to me.
I’d give up trying to tell my grandkids what to do! Instead, I would write down my life’s story — hopefully to leave answers to questions they will surely have after I am gone.
I’d give up harbored anger, resentment, and frustration over my failures, the relationships that turned out badly, and the opportunities I ignored.
I’d give it all up to let God in — not just for Lent or 40 days, but from this day forward. Let us renew our commitment to follow Jesus’ example of obedience as we seek fullness of life in God.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Dear God, help us to appreciate the sacrifice Jesus made for us. Give us the courage to follow his leading toward wholeness of life. Amen.TWFYT:
Harvest Prayer Blog and Prayer Starters:
March 6 - Walk in the Peace of Christ
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Whether you have been following Christ for years or are just coming to faith, listen to how the Apostle Paul sums up the gospel.
“Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-5)
This is the gospel of peace that Jesus preached to both Jews and Gentiles. It is still being preached to each of us today. Walking in the truth of the gospel means walking in the peace of Christ. It is a big part of what it means to live the Christian life. We should have a firm expectation of his peace guarding our hearts each day.
Spend time today praying over the gospel. Thank the Lord for what he has done for you and accept his peace fully into your life.
Lord Jesus Christ, thank You for preaching Your gospel over my life day by day. Make me more aware of Your life-giving salvation message than ever before as I keep it continually at the forefront of all that I do and say. May it be all that I am, inform everything I think and be passed on to each person I encounter in my life. Because of Your sacrifice on the cross, I can live in complete peace, and my heart is continually grateful!
--Adapted from Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God (A 30-Day Journey to Experience the Shalom of Jesus) by David Butts. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise God, who is majestic in holiness (Ex. 15:11).
- Give thanks for the privilege of sharing in his holiness (Heb. 12:10).
- Confess any impure thoughts or actions that remain unconfessed.
- Commit yourself anew to living the holy life that God has called you to live (1 Thess. 4:7).
- Ask God to impress upon you the vision of Isaiah: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory (Isa. 6:3).
- Holiness in life is mocked by much of our modern culture. Pray that this attribute of God will become an abiding characteristic of his kingdom here on earth.
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