Don't forget...Sunday is our Brunch after worship. All welcome! Bring a friend or two! Lord, may Acts 2:42 come alive in and through us as we gather! All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer.
Good Morning Worshipers! We do have so much to praise and be thankful for! We even bow in humble worship all the time! Who are we God, that You are mindful of us? Yet You are! Thank You! Today's devotionals lead through dwelling in His presence in praise and worship and allow His Word to inform our praise, prayers and actions. Check them out prayerfully. What's God saying to you?
Lately, I've been thinking about Job and how all that he loved was taken from him by the devil. And God allowed this stretching, refining, testing. But there is one thing not taken, Job's steadfast faith in God. No one can take that unless we surrender it. God promises to be with us always--on the mountain top and in the darkest valleys. Fix your thoughts on Him! Keep trusting! The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Praise be the Lord! And the Lord redeems and restores too! Many of us have traveled through some of these hard, stretching times. Some are right now. We get to be pretty good at putting on a happy face and hiding our hurts and fears. We need each other and to invite some into our pain and journey. If someone reaches out to you, don't be like Jobs friends who were no help. And don't be like Job's wife who said curse God and die. Come alongside in prayer with a listening ear and strengthening, helping heart. Ask God to help you help and for help if you need some. We all need some help! We all need each other! Amen! We have no idea what some of us are traveling through right now. Ask God to use you to be His comfort and peace and to help and strengthen others. Ask God to send help if you need it. Then open up to receive it. God knows, has allowed for His purposes and cares. he is able and is with you wanting to work all things together for good. trust Him! Worship! Come Lord! Send me! Send help! Deliver me/us! Your Kingdom come and will be done. Strengthen me and give me enduring faith. Thank YOU!
Here our our devos. They do speak into this! Be still and know. Listen to hear with open heart and mind. Ask for the Holy Spirit to guide you today. Amen! Last night at our Chosen huddle tears were shed. God was speaking because His love became very real to us. Hard things are part of life...BUT GOD! His love for you is an everlasting love! He is always with you. Lean on Him today! Follow Him today. Allow Him to help and use you today! he is able and has good plans just for you. he knows you by name and has chosen you to be His child. What lavish love He has shown us! Trust and worship today! Amen!
I just heard on the radio the thought and truth that when things seem to be falling apart, they are falling into place as we trust God and allow Him to work ALL things together and continue to worship! Amen! Rejoice always!
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UR: Breathe
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord. - Psalm 150:6 (NIV)
On a recent road trip down the eastern coast of our country, we spent many hours on clifftops looking out to sea for a glimpse of humpback whales. These magnificent creatures that were once cruelly hunted have now returned to the warmer waters to give birth to their young. They are not always easy to spot, but the clue is in their first breath emerging from the depths.
I have heard that the sacred name YHWH, if correctly pronounced, sounds like the inhalation and exhalation of breath. This becomes profound when I consider that every living creature in their breathing proclaims the name of God.
From our very first breath to our final one, we are giving expression to the life God first breathed into the dust that became Adam. May we rejoice in the new life and hope we have — breathing deeply as we praise God.
Today's Prayer
Creator God, thank you that you are always with us. Help us to breathe your name in all circumstances. Amen.
ODB:
As favorite backyard neighbors, my mother and Mrs. Sanchez grew also into friendly rivals. The two competed every Monday to be the first to hang their freshly washed laundry on their outdoor clotheslines. “She beat me again!” my mother would say. But the next week, Mama might be first—both enjoying their friendly weekly contest. Over ten years of sharing a backyard alley, the two also shared each other’s wisdom, stories, and hope.
The Bible speaks with great warmth about the virtue of such a friendship. “A friend loves at all times,” King Solomon observed (Proverbs 17:17). He also noted, “The pleasantness of a friend springs from their heartfelt advice” (27:9).
Our great Friend is surely Jesus. Urging loving friendship from His disciples, He taught them, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). The very next day, He would do just that on the cross. He also told them, “I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (v. 15). Then He said, “This is my command: Love each other” (v. 17).
With such words, Jesus “is elevating His listeners,” as philosopher Nicholas Wolterstorff said, from lowly humans to companions and confidants. In Christ, we learn to befriend others. What a Friend to teach us such love!
By Patricia Raybon
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How do you experience love in your friendship with Jesus? How can you be a friend like Him?
You call me friend, dear Jesus. Please help me be a loving friend to others.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The apostle John referred to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23; see 20:2; 21:20). It wasn’t that Christ loved him alone or the most, but most likely that John keenly felt Jesus’ love. Of all the New Testament books, John’s writing focuses the most on God’s love. He says, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son” (3:16). The apostle also says, “the Father loves the Son” (v. 35; 5:20). Why? Because Christ laid down His life (10:17). In response, we’re to “love one another” (13:34) just as He loved us (15:12). By our love for each other, others will know we’re His disciples (13:35). If we love Him, we’re also called to “keep [His] commands” (14:15). In 1 John, the apostle’s emphasis is again on God’s love: “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (4:8).
Alyson Kieda |
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