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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