Watch Church
|
|
Whenever or wherever you are, stream the services at First Church
|
|
God’s love manifests in our lives through the words and works of His people. When Jesus said He came to give us life abundant, He was not necessarily talking about money or things that the world deems important. He was speaking about receiving more and more of His love— to be blessed to overflowing so that it ends up pouring out in the lives of others. As we move closer to the cross of Christ, may we take on an attitude of gratitude for each word spoken and each deed done with love from the Father.
God’s love for us is not based on conditions. His love never changes. May we be reminded that “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). That is how God demonstrated His love, His unfailing love for each one of us— for you. You may be thinking that God could never love you because of what you have done. God’s love is not based on what you have done but is based on what Jesus did on the cross. One thing in this life you can be guaranteed of is that God’s love is unfailing.
Belief in the power of positive thinking is not the same thing as an inner wisdom and unwavering confidence in Christ. It doesn’t come from believing in ourselves. True optimism, true belief is in getting our minds right on the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. It comes from biblical convictions about the nature of God and knowing that He loves us and has an exciting plan tailored for just us. Getting our mind right is part of being able to recognize that God is working in and through us to accomplish His purpose.
So, there’s a dream God has given you or maybe a dream that has been rekindled by last week’s Sermon and Study. Now what? Our next step is to focus on the one main thing in life that will keep us moving forward to obtain it. It sounds simple! Yet, in reality, it rarely comes easily. The push and pull of everyday life make take away some of the excitement we once had. But that’s why we must learn to Remain Focused. Fix our eyes on Jesus and the promise God has given to get us through.
Put your Sunday groove on because we are coming together as a Church to worship, praise, and thank God for all He has done and will do through you and me in this new season. Have you ever seen those commercials where people press a reset button? We aren’t resetting things, we are moving forward with a Fresh Start, a new step in our walk with God and one another. Be sure to join us this Sunday as we see new faces, make friends, and take that fresh step in your spiritual journey. We have a ton of opportunities to make connections, learn more about God, and serve in our community!
We like the prodigal often search for other things in life to fill the void that seems to be missing from our lives. However, when we come to our senses and realize that life within the Father's house was much better than the world has to offer, the Father is waiting to restore and rekindle our relationship as one of His children. Our distant heart can be redeemed through turning to the Father and heading Home.
This week, we are traveling about 2 miles east of Jerusalem to the small village of Bethany. There are about a dozen references found in the Scriptures of this town. It was the home of Simon the leper, it is the place where Mary anoints the feet of Jesus. It is where preparations start for Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. But most of all it is probably best known for being the hometown of Jesus' good friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. And, we too can look at Jesus as our friend.
As believers, we are called to make most of our time. How are you doing on that directive? Our time might seem like it is ours to spend and do as we think we ought, but in fact, each moment of every single day is given to us by God. We ought to strive to make our days glorify the Lord in all we do and say.
It’s hard to believe we are at the end of the first month in the new year. Have you been listening for God during this time? Have you heard Him speak to the one thing He wants you to do for Him this year? Maybe you have heard something or had a thought about what to do and yet you asked God, Why me? Why now? That’s exactly what we’ll be discussing this weekend during worship. We might know what God's answer is already— Why not you! Why not now! Imagine the people you know or that know you, there is no better person to speak to them about the love of Christ than you!
This week we will bring Joy to the World through our praise. God’s Word has so much to say about praise it could be a sermon series in and of itself. But as we look at the characters of Moses and Mary, we find that we can rejoice for our hope has come… and Jesus will soon be returning to restore all things. Now that is something we can have an expectation of praise shouted from the mountain tops!
|
Archives
May 2022
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed