Thank God I'm Forgiven Friday! What are you thankful about concerning your forgiveness, new life in Christ, eternal hope, communion with the Father, Son and Spirit, and your gifts and empowerment to encourage, build up and serve? PTL! Build those gratitude lists. God is always good, full of love, mercy and grace and our wisdom to worship and respond in faith. Amen!
Roof and Insurance updates: We have been given a claim number and will be scheduling a visit with an insurance appraiser. Next week we start the process of securing new insurance. Please keep earnestly praying for God's provision, our wisdom and discernment and God's directing favor. Thanks!
PTL Sarah has completed a rigorous week of jury duty and is sabbath resting today!
Sunday we collect for everlasting life ministries during worship at 10. We begin our journey through the book of Philippians with discussing Philippians chapter 1. Read and study that for Sunday.
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Good Morning Saved By Grace, Redeemed, Enabled Saints! Yes rejoice for we are saved, made new and being made new in Christ and empowered, gifted and enabled to do all the things God created us to do! Yes rejoice! Meditate on all the facets of that saving grace and new life and just worship today! Here's a great worship song to begin this TGIF Friday: Thank You! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2qUoZKxC9s
And this one as we worship through it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBeivKtQ0RM
As we begin this day and enter His courts with worship, praise and thanksgiving, we still ourselves at His feet and talk to Him through our prayerful time with our open Bibles and hearts and devotional quiet time. He always inhabits our praises and is always there speaking and singing love over us, informing our prayers and steps for the day, and wanting to just hang out with us even when we are going through some hard things! He loves you, has redeemed you and is calling you by name. He reminds, "You are mine!" Come! Dwell in my love today." What an awesome, praise-worthy God we know and serve and walk with! He is the Living One who sees you wherever you are and calls to you to come and be loved. He says, "I take great delight in you and rejoice over you with singing." Amen!
The Upper Room reminds us how God loves when we ask Him questions and He answers and directs us with the truth that He has great plans for you and us to discover, ponder and step into. The Word for You Today carries on the theme of seeking, questioning and listening to our Wisdom as He teaches and informs and directs. Our Daily Bread reminds us of His wanting to use us and that He provides and guides even as we wonder how. We can trust Him and He will use what we offer Him as we use what we are given for His glory. He is enough and our provider and guide, even our help in times of trouble. Be still, submit and surrender as you die to self and follow Jesus to his best for you and those He loves. Charles Stanley and Harvest Prayer finish our quiet time with reminders of the power in prayer that flows from fellowship with the Father and allowing Him to inform our prayers and direct our steps. Keep seeking, knocking and praying in power, even worshiping in the storms! And open your heart and mind to hear and receive and follow through. God does have great plans for you and us, His beloved children! Yes rejoice, be glad in this day, pray in power for His Kingdom to come and will to be done, watch for Him to move and prepare to join Him throughout today. He has some great stories to share through you of His faithful love! Rejoice!
UR: Questions
I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. - Jeremiah 29:11 (CEB)
Most days when I get up, I grab a cup of coffee, my Bible, and my journal. Journaling my prayers and thoughts in a spiral notebook has become my habit. I like to start the page with the date, day, and year. This helps me organize my day and allows me to look back to see what I was thinking or how God worked through my prayers.
I realize my desires are not always in line with the Creator’s will. I’ve become intentional about asking God questions. Stating my concerns in the form of a question instead of always asking for help or blessings to do what I have in mind changes the way I look at my day. It’s a subtle shift in attitude that makes it feel less stressful when things don’t happen as I envision. Questions make my prayers open-ended, allowing my mind to receive the gift of grace instead of trying to seize it. This practice leaves an open window for the Holy Spirit to flow through my day.
Today's Prayer
Loving God, thank you for this day and the lessons you provide for us in scripture. We welcome your guidance when we have questions. Amen.TWFYT:
ODB:
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A few years after I received salvation and dedicated my life to God, I felt Him directing me to lay down my journalism career. As I put down my pen and my writing went into hiding, I couldn’t help feeling that one day God would call me to write for His glory. During my years of wandering in my personal wilderness, I was encouraged by the story of Moses and his staff in Exodus 4.
Moses, who was raised in Pharaoh’s palace and had a promising future, fled Egypt and was living in obscurity as a shepherd when God called him. Moses must’ve thought he had nothing to offer God, but he learned that He can use anyone and anything for His glory.
“What is that in your hand?” God asked. “A staff,” Moses replied. God said, “Throw it on the ground” (Exodus 4:2-3). Moses’ ordinary staff became a snake. When he grabbed the snake, God turned it back into the staff (vv. 3-4). This sign was given so the Israelites would “believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you” (v. 5). As Moses threw down his staff and took it back up again, I laid down my career as a journalist in obedience to God. Later, He guided me to pick up my pen again, and now I’m writing for Him.
We don’t need much to be used by God. We can simply serve Him with the talents He’s given us. Not sure where to start? What’s in your hand?
By Nancy Gavilanes
REFLECT & PRAY
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How can you use your talents to serve God? How can you use your resources to bless someone today?
Father God, please help me to use my life to honor You.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
We would think that the staff turning into a snake would be convincing to Pharaoh and his court when Moses and Aaron appeared before them. Note that it was Aaron, not Moses, who threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh (Exodus 7:8-10). However, Pharaoh’s magicians were able to replicate this miracle (v. 11). How did they do it? Some scholars say it was through trickery and deceit. Others, however, believe it was through the power of the evil one, the devil. Intriguingly, the apostle Paul notes how “Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses” (2 Timothy 3:8). Although these names aren’t recorded in the Old Testament, they were known to Paul, a highly educated man, through other Near Eastern literature and were likely two of Pharaoh’s magicians. Regardless, Aaron’s staff in the form of a snake devoured the snakes produced by those magicians (Exodus 7:11-12), proving the vast superiority of the one true God.
Tim Gustafson |
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CS:
Harvest:
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August 30 - Fellowship with the Father
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“For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” —John 12:49–50
What exactly is a walking-and-talking relationship with God, and why should that be our goal? In the simplest terms, it is fellowship with him that lasts all day. It is being mindful that he is with us, that we are never alone, and that any time is a good time to strike up conversation with him. Let me illustrate.
My wife and I love to take long walks together. This is our time not just to be together, side by side, but to talk about everything in our lives. As our relationship has grown and matured through the years, so have these
cherished times together. As with parents everywhere, while we were raising our four children, life became very busy. We would often save up all our words for the “unopposed time” our long walks allowed. At times it seemed like we were just running through a list of things we had saved up over the course of the week, checking items off our to-do lists. There wasn’t much time for getting beyond the surface issues of raising our kids.
Now that the kids are married and starting their own families, we often enjoy our talks over morning coffee or dinner, but we still like to take our walks. It’s just that now we’re not as likely to have as much to say. So
sometimes our walks are mostly in silence, except to point out something that grabs our attention or to share something that just came to mind. Here’s what I’m getting at: Whether we are walking and talking about the pressing issues of our lives or simply spending time together in silence, we are aware of one another’s presence and absolutely enjoy one another’s company.
This is a picture of a walking-and-talking relationship with God. The conversation may be quite different depending on what’s happening in your life. At times, you may need to go through a “list” of things you need to talk with him about, or he may bring to mind things he wants to talk to you about. Sometimes your prayers will feel relaxed and unhurried. At other times, your prayers may be more urgent and focused. At still other times, you may enjoy sweet fellowship with him in which you quiet your heart and simply listen. He might point out some unique part of his creation, for which you can express joyful appreciation. Above all, God desires that we walk and talk with him all day, every day.
Father, just as walking and talking with people I love and enjoy being with, I want to have special times with You. Sometimes we can talk back and forth…sometimes I will be quiet and listen…and sometimes, I just want to be quiet in Your presence without either of us having to say anything at all. Show me how to “be” with you continually in all of these ways as You show me new things about Yourself and Your beautiful creation.
--Adapted from Walking and Talking with God: A Simple Way to Pray Every Day by Dean Ridings. This book is available at prayershop.org. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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- Praise Jesus as the righteous one.
- Thank God that “you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30).
- Confess any desire to dabble in unrighteousness in any corner of your life.
- Commit yourself to hungering and thirsting for righteousness, asking God to fill you (Mt. 5:6).
- Pray that the righteousness of Christ will shine through you so clearly and consistently that those around you “see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (5:16).
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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.
Connection (Devotions for Everyday Life) © 2024 is a free devotional published daily by Harvest Prayer Ministries. Subscribe here. |
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