Thursday, July 23, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. -Ephesians 2:10
Wow! What a concept! Take hold of the first part of this verse, you are God's masterpiece!
When I think of a masterpiece, the first thing in my mind is art, especially sculptures. A sculptor works tirelessly to perfect a masterpiece. He chips away at it, one tiny piece at a time until it is exactly the way he wants it. Then he smooths it out so that it shines perfectly.
You are God's masterpiece! He will chip away at the things in your life that keep you from being more like Him, then he will smooth out the rough edges to make you shine.
God has a specific plan for your life. He wants to use you in a certain way to do His work on earth and bring Him glory. It is only after He has "sculpted" you to be more like Jesus that you will be ready for Him to use.
Sometimes the chisel of God will cause pain, but that pain is part of the process of growing. Never think though that the pain is a sign that God is mad at you or doesn't like you, for that is never true. God wants you to be the person He created you to be but He must get rid of the things you chose to cling to in this world. The pain that comes from having these things removed will never be as bad as the pain you will feel if you reach eternity without being who God wants you to be.
Wow! What a concept! Take hold of the first part of this verse, you are God's masterpiece!
When I think of a masterpiece, the first thing in my mind is art, especially sculptures. A sculptor works tirelessly to perfect a masterpiece. He chips away at it, one tiny piece at a time until it is exactly the way he wants it. Then he smooths it out so that it shines perfectly.
You are God's masterpiece! He will chip away at the things in your life that keep you from being more like Him, then he will smooth out the rough edges to make you shine.
God has a specific plan for your life. He wants to use you in a certain way to do His work on earth and bring Him glory. It is only after He has "sculpted" you to be more like Jesus that you will be ready for Him to use.
Sometimes the chisel of God will cause pain, but that pain is part of the process of growing. Never think though that the pain is a sign that God is mad at you or doesn't like you, for that is never true. God wants you to be the person He created you to be but He must get rid of the things you chose to cling to in this world. The pain that comes from having these things removed will never be as bad as the pain you will feel if you reach eternity without being who God wants you to be.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
A Great Opportunity
The Youth Group has an awesome opportunity to help the needy of the Texarkana Community.
I propose that we begin this month with making bags of groceries available for needy people who come by our church. We can contribute the money from our budget and also donate our own money so that we can buy about $100 worth of non-perishable food items, (cereal, maccaroni, canned meat, etc.) to be divided amongst 5-10 paper bags to be given out to those in need.
This will be a great opportunity for us to minister to our neighbors. And, once we move to our new building, we can look at joining with other church members to create a food bank that will allow us to further help those in need.
Let me know what you think about this!
I propose that we begin this month with making bags of groceries available for needy people who come by our church. We can contribute the money from our budget and also donate our own money so that we can buy about $100 worth of non-perishable food items, (cereal, maccaroni, canned meat, etc.) to be divided amongst 5-10 paper bags to be given out to those in need.
This will be a great opportunity for us to minister to our neighbors. And, once we move to our new building, we can look at joining with other church members to create a food bank that will allow us to further help those in need.
Let me know what you think about this!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Philippians 1:27
Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. -Philippians 1:27
Citizens of heaven! If you are a follower of Jesus, then you are a citizen of heaven.
When you meet someone from another country you immediately begin asking them questions about their homeland. Things that you have always been curious about just come spewing out of your mouth. You might ask a German about the AutoBahn, or an Australian about kangaroos. You may have read about these things before but, now you can talk to someone who has experienced them firsthand.
This is how Christians are supposed to be to the world. We are citizens of heaven and we should be able to answer the questions people have about our homeland.
We should also live in a manner that is worthy of our homeland.
Americans get so tired of hearing about one of our people going to a foreign country and acting like a fool. They do something stupid and get on the news, then we look bad.
We, representatives of heaven, need to be mindful of how we make heaven look to other people. If we say that we are a Christian then we act stupid, we know that we have God's grace but it still makes a bad impression on people who are not Christians.
Just something to think about, I hope you all have a great week.
Citizens of heaven! If you are a follower of Jesus, then you are a citizen of heaven.
When you meet someone from another country you immediately begin asking them questions about their homeland. Things that you have always been curious about just come spewing out of your mouth. You might ask a German about the AutoBahn, or an Australian about kangaroos. You may have read about these things before but, now you can talk to someone who has experienced them firsthand.
This is how Christians are supposed to be to the world. We are citizens of heaven and we should be able to answer the questions people have about our homeland.
We should also live in a manner that is worthy of our homeland.
Americans get so tired of hearing about one of our people going to a foreign country and acting like a fool. They do something stupid and get on the news, then we look bad.
We, representatives of heaven, need to be mindful of how we make heaven look to other people. If we say that we are a Christian then we act stupid, we know that we have God's grace but it still makes a bad impression on people who are not Christians.
Just something to think about, I hope you all have a great week.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Hebrews 4:16
So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. Hebrews 4:16 NLT
When I think about all that Christ accomplished on the Cross, one of the most amazing things is that, because of His blood, we can now enter the throne room of God.
The Old Testament tells us about the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. At the heart of the Temple was the Holy of Holies. This was were the Ark of the Covenant resided and its doorway was covered by a thick curtain. Only one person was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, that was the High Priest and he could only go in once a year to make a sacrifice. Nobody else could enter the Holy of Holies, Nobody else could get that close to God.
The New Testament records that when Jesus died on the Cross, the curtain that covered the entrance to the Holy of Holies was ripped in two, from top to bottom. This showed that Jesus, as our Great High Priest, gives us entrance to the presence of God! If we are covered by the Blood of Jesus, then we have access to throne of God where we can commune with Him and He can shower us with His Love, Mercy, and Grace, what an amazing God we serve!
When I think about all that Christ accomplished on the Cross, one of the most amazing things is that, because of His blood, we can now enter the throne room of God.
The Old Testament tells us about the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. At the heart of the Temple was the Holy of Holies. This was were the Ark of the Covenant resided and its doorway was covered by a thick curtain. Only one person was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, that was the High Priest and he could only go in once a year to make a sacrifice. Nobody else could enter the Holy of Holies, Nobody else could get that close to God.
The New Testament records that when Jesus died on the Cross, the curtain that covered the entrance to the Holy of Holies was ripped in two, from top to bottom. This showed that Jesus, as our Great High Priest, gives us entrance to the presence of God! If we are covered by the Blood of Jesus, then we have access to throne of God where we can commune with Him and He can shower us with His Love, Mercy, and Grace, what an amazing God we serve!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
FREEDOM!
It has been a very busy two weeks since my last post. I have missed you all too.
Today is the 4th of July and my thoughts have turned to freedom. Many brave Americans have died, physically and mentally, to preserve the freedom we enjoy everyday. I regrettably admit that I take my freedom for granted; but I am truly grateful to all who have given of themselves to ensure my rights to vote, speak, earn money, and especially worship as I choose.
Around 1,350,000 Americans have died in wars fought for this country.
The freedom we have as Americans is a glimpse of what the blood of Christ has purchased for us.
The blood of Christ has freed us (those who believe in it's power), from hopelessness, sin, and death itself.
Freedom can only be purchased with sacrifice. Thank those who have sacrificed to purchase the freedom of America; and thank Christ for sacrificing himself to purchase the freedom of faith.
Today is the 4th of July and my thoughts have turned to freedom. Many brave Americans have died, physically and mentally, to preserve the freedom we enjoy everyday. I regrettably admit that I take my freedom for granted; but I am truly grateful to all who have given of themselves to ensure my rights to vote, speak, earn money, and especially worship as I choose.
Around 1,350,000 Americans have died in wars fought for this country.
The freedom we have as Americans is a glimpse of what the blood of Christ has purchased for us.
The blood of Christ has freed us (those who believe in it's power), from hopelessness, sin, and death itself.
Freedom can only be purchased with sacrifice. Thank those who have sacrificed to purchase the freedom of America; and thank Christ for sacrificing himself to purchase the freedom of faith.
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