Sarah blog below and its' reminder that God is always with us and the call to embrace and remember that always! Keep her in your prayer at the loss of a dear friend and former co-worker and pray for their family
Awesome day of ministry at bread and donut day yesterday! Thank you all who hung out and allowed God to use you! Next one is Wed Aug 14th
Next Wed at 6 we will gather in our St. Matts T-shirts and chill at Rita's Emmaus (if severe weather, we will move to the Creamery (ice cream shop up the street) If you would like to order a T-shirt see Gail L. Ordered shirts are expected Sunday.
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Good Morning Friends!
Please spend some time in our devotionals for today and Sarah's blog. I gotta fly to go visit our granddaughter early today. But God really has threaded all of these through Sarah's blog and is speaking to our hearts today. I have to share that in ODB's passage I saw something I missed before (1 Tim. 1:14 "The grace of the Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love THAT ARE IN CHRIST." do you understand that we are given abundant grace no matter what we face and we are given the faith and love that are in Jesus! WOW! He fills us with His love and gives us His faith. We can wield that to endure whatever we face as we remember Christ is always with us and always working things together for good! AMEN! Charles Stanley reminds of our true identity we get to put on when we are reborn in Christ. The Upper Room reminds us to give God our heavy burdens, don Jesus' easy yoke and travel light. An TWFYT reminds us to trust God and honor Him in all we do. he is worthy!
Meditate on these, journal what God is saying and process with some friends! Have a blessed day! Quote of the day from yesterday< "Your a pastor? Why are you so happy?" Let the world see the joy of the Lord in you today! Surprise them with your love and joy!
ODB:
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I expected eight bananas. Instead, when I opened the grocery bags delivered to my home, I discovered twenty bananas! I quickly realized that my move to England meant I also moved from ordering groceries in pounds to requesting them in kilograms. Instead of three pounds, I had ordered three kilograms (nearly seven pounds!) of bananas.
With such an abundance, I made several batches of a favorite banana bread recipe to share the blessing with others. As I mashed up the fruit, I began thinking about the other areas of my life where I have experienced unexpected abundance—and each path led back to God.
Paul appears to have had a similar experience of reflecting on God’s abundance in his life. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul paused to describe his life before Jesus, describing himself as a “persecutor and a violent man” (1 Timothy 1:13); “the worst of sinners” (v. 16). Into Paul’s brokenness, God lavishly poured out grace, faith, and love (v. 14). After recounting all the abundance in his life, the apostle couldn’t help but express praise to God, declaring Him worthy of all “honor and glory for ever and ever” (v. 17).
Like Paul, we all received an overwhelming abundance of grace when we accepted Jesus’ offer of rescue from sin (v. 15). As we pause to reflect on all the resulting blessings, we’ll find ourselves joining Paul in grateful praise to our generous God.
By Lisa M. Samra
REFLECT & PRAY
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How have you experienced God’s abundance in your life? How will you offer praise to Him today?
Heavenly Father, thank You for Your overwhelming gift of grace.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Paul’s self-reflective narrative in his first letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 1:12-17) interrupts a longer discussion aimed at dealing with corrupt teachers spreading false doctrines in the church. Among the people Timothy is to watch out for are those who “want to be teachers of the law” (v. 7). The apostle explains that the law is good for identifying wrongdoing and bringing wrongdoers to repentance.
And then Paul identifies himself as the worst of them all. Not only does he condemn himself under the law as “a blasphemer . . . and a violent man” (v. 13), he zealously tries to defend that very law (see Acts 9:1-2; Philippians 3:1-6). In a way, the apostle uses his own story to present hope even for those who do wrong in and to the church. They can be redeemed, his own story says, if only by the grace of God. But that grace is more than enough.
Dive into the wisdom Paul offers Timothy and us.
Jed Ostoich |
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CS:
UR: Packing Light
Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” - Matthew 11:28 (NRSVUE)
On my last vacation, I was going to be out of town less than a week, so I decided to take only a carry-on and a personal item. However, after packing the essentials and many nonessentials, my bags were overstuffed and weighed down, which ultimately placed more stress on me than if I had chosen not to carry the bags.
Emotional baggage, like physical baggage, has the power to weigh us down and cause stress. When we choose to carry more than is necessary, we are telling God that we don’t need help because we can handle it all on our own. However, it doesn’t have to be this way.
Today’s quoted verse encourages us to bring our burdens to God, while Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast your burden on the Lord and he will sustain you.” These verses highlight the fact that by handing our burdens to God, we receive strength and rest. Let us give our burdens over to God and accept God’s offer to carry them.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Compassionate God, thank you for lightening our burdens and giving us strength and rest. Give us wisdom to accept your help each day. Amen.TWFYT:
Sarah Blog:
Good evening, everyone,
Have you ever had one of those times when you lost something, and you looked everywhere to find it?
Perhaps it was your keys, wallet, checkbook, a book, the TV remote........
And you couldn't imagine where that item could be - I know of a few people who couldn't find their glasses, only to be told that they were on top of their head. OR perhaps you are looking for your cell phone and later only realize you are talking on it.
But we search all over for that lost item and retrace your steps and places you already looked and the second or possibly the third time, when you are looking, there is the item, right there where you had previously looked.
Each of us probably experience this at least once/twice a week - some of us, perhaps more often. I was thinking how often in our Jesus journey, we experience the same thing......How many times do we have experiences in our lives, situations that arise, difficult moments, health issues - and we ask, "Where is God?" We have a difficult time "Seeing God!"
Many times, we are looking for the bigger picture or perhaps we are having tunnel vision or satan is distracting us, luring our attention away from God and what God is doing in our lives/through our situations.
Satan wants us to focus on what we are able to physically see - whatever is happening right in front of us, pain, troubles, uncertainties, financial stress, unanswered questions.
As God's children we need to work hard every day to follow through with obeying/keeping focus. Hebrews 12:2 says "Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our faith depends on beginning to end."
Jesus reminds us that no matter what is going on in our lives - in Deuteronomy 31:8 and Hebrews 13:5-6 He promises that "I will never leave you nor forsake you." God promises He is always with us - It's with our physical eyes that we see what's going on around us - BUT GOD....has also given us spiritual eyes - spiritual eyes that help us see/make us aware of the spiritual things that are happening around us but are invisible to our human eyes.
In our world, the big request is usually "Show me the evidence" - we have all grown accustomed to only believing what is right in front of us, what we can physically see. Truth of the matter is - God is always working; working in our circumstances, working to help our finances; working to heal us...
If you and I would believe this, it would help us to maintain our HOPE in Him, and THEN we will SEE; recognize the evidence of His work, in His time, His way!
Joyce Meyer once said, "When I get discouraged because of a problem, I have been praying about, I would say out loud, "GOD IS WORKING"
The bible says if you will believe God is working, even when you don't see it or feel it, then God keeps working.
Hebrews 11:1 "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."
Vs 6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God; because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him."
God is always with us, through whatever we are going through - JOY, Sadness, Difficulty......God is always right there!
May He open our eyes, so we are able to recognize His presence. Try to always walk in the knowledge that God is right beside you and His presence makes you UNSHAKABLE!
May we be able to say "I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for He is right beside me!" Psalm 16:8
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Prayer needs:
Mark Henninger had his cataract surgery and all went well. Continue prayers for healing and patience as he heals
Prayers for the Burke family - I learned today that a friend and coworker of mine, from Goodwill, who just recently retired, we on an Alaskan cruise. Her husband, daughter, grandchild, and herself went white water rafting. A landslide in the river, caused the raft to flip and become lodged. Unfortunately, Debbie's (my friend) injuries were to sever and she did not make it. Her husband, daughter, grandchild and raft guide are in the hospital in serious condition. Please keep this family in your prayers and the Goodwill family as they have learned of this tragic news.
Great time at Coffee, Donuts, Conversation today. 60 people passed through our doors to receive bread. And there were several church family members and bread volunteers there to greet them and share Jesus' love with them.
I believe that is all for now......
Stay cool....keep praying for rain!
Blessings,
Sarah
Harvest:
July 11 - Embrace God’s Purpose
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Jesus knew that He had been sent on purpose by His Father. That He lived on mission. He came to seek and save that which had been lost—the people that the Creator made in His image who had wandered from Him. Christ came to bring them back so their lives would worship and serve their King.
When Christ came to the most significant decision in His earthly life, He did not pray, “God, remove this from Me,” or, “Let me be comfortable,” or, “Save me from this pain.” As He faced the grueling prospect of the cross, the most effective prayer, the one that is always answered was this: "Father, glorify Your name."
God delights to answer this prayer and the results are stunning. This prayer, prayed from a humble, genuine heart, is the prayer that never fails.
Answer my cry, O Lord, in a way that will accomplish Your will, for Your will is good, acceptable, and perfect. If it is best for You then it is best for me and any others who may be affected by this prayer. Father, I want You to be magnified and seen in this circumstance. May all that happens ultimately glorify You!
---Adapted from Prayer with No Intermission by Bill Elliff. This book is available at prayershop.org.
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- Praise the one who came as the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).
- Thank Jesus for giving peace to his beloved ones (Jn. 14:27).
- Confess those times when you’ve allowed Satan to fill your soul with unrest.
- Commit yourself to bearing the fruit of peace by the power of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22).
- Ask God to guard your heart and mind today with his peace (Phil. 4:7).
- Warfare, bloodshed, strife, and turmoil mar every corner of the globe these days. But the good news is that Christ came “to reconcile to himself all things . . . by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:20). Pray for all those who seek to bring Christ’s reconciliation to a restless world.
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