Here we go again! Snow forecast again and starting as we awake.! I love it, but UGH...our plans seem to not be God's for us. Keep watch for . Worship Announcement. We are postponing our Souper Bowl Brunch and maybe even have to go to Zoom only church. So, the decision about the brunch/soup part of is that we are postponing Brunch and soup until . Details about and the congregational meeting and brunch will be announced later . Decision about Zoom only church will be made by noon. Please spread the word to all you can, especially those who signed up to make soup!
Lenten Offering: There are Lenten Offering envelopes in our offering boxes. This offering will be used to rebuild our Benevolence Account which has been used heavily this year already. Benevolence Fund is used to help those in need with urgent funding, like helping with a bill or securing a room for a night or maybe some grocery gift cards. Just place the Lenten Offering envelope with your donation in the offering plate sometime during Lent and we will take care of the rest. Thank You!
Good Morning Humble, Lavishly Loving, Jesus-like Servants and Prayers! Living with uncertainty seems to be a way of life and can lead to all kinds of stress and anxiety. BUT GOD! He tells us to cast all anxiety unto Him and receive His shalom and wisdom. He and His love and protection and ever-present help our a certainty and a part of our faith. We get to choose faith, trust and hope and even the joy of knowing He is with us and for us and working all things together for good for those who believe. He has plans to prosper and not harm! PTL! You believe, right? And His ways are not our ways and that's where we get bound up sometimes. We think we know how things should go or what His plans should be--BUT GOD! So, Cast all your anxiety and the things you presume about God and His plans to Him and ask for help to trust and accept what is and receive wisdom for what He has for you each day and courage to do it. He is with us and for us--always! PTL!
Being a leader that has to make decisions that affect many others can be daunting. We question ourselves, our motives and if we really are hearing and following God. That's why it's called faith and why we always need to seek first His Kingdom and come to Him in Jesus' righteousness to know peace and to be able to follow step by step with His wisdom. Being concerned for others like for takes it's toll. We don't want people to choose to come with soups when snowing. You know, now that we made the decision it probably will be Sunny and warm but we will always choose to err on the side of safety. So plan to make your soups for , and spread the words about brunch. Details about the plans for next week will be forthcoming. The decision to worship in person or not will be made by noon. Please spread the word to all those you know are making soup or planning to attend brunch. Thanks for your understanding!
OK so back to our salutation and devotionals and blogs. (Check them out below) On our bulletin covers weekly is the vision statement we embrace: Learning to live sacrificially and love lavishly like Jesus. That is a good description of us or many of us. We are humble servants like Jesus. Many tithing time, talent and treasure to bless God, each other and others. Many of us are prayer warriors, releasing God's provision, blessings and power from our knees. Thank you all! remember we are a work in process to become more like Jesus and in progress towards that. Amen! Thanks Lord! Continue Your good work in, through and around us. hear our prayers and may Your Kingdom come and will be done! Amen! Our Daily bread discusses lavish love. We know it and get to share it! We grow in it by the grace of God. How's that gpoing? Who are your teammates? And the Upper Room discusses humble service that flows from that lavish love and sacrificial living like Jesus that we are working on. Do you see that coming alive through us and around us? It is!!! PTL and thank you! Then meditate on the Connection blog and especially the prayer starters. We are praying for and enduring much. God is with us and molding us, providing and guiding. PTL! receive His faith, love and help and then go live and love a little more like Jesus and ask what your part is in the revival He is bringing and keep praying for the harvest and workers for it that are humble and loving. And ask for wisdom and courage for how to incarnate Christ wherever you go. I prayed for you for that already. God is for and with you and has great plans for ! Step in to them in faith and choose joy always! Amen!
ODB:
Lavish Love
If one of your fellow Israelites falls into poverty . . . allow him to live with you. Leviticus 25:35 nlt
Todd invited his younger brother Alex, a recent college graduate, to come live with him in the house he’d built. He wanted to help his sibling gain some financial footing by allowing him to live rent-free for a while. After six months, Todd asked Alex to begin paying rent. Years later, Alex made an offer on his own home. When the offer was accepted, Todd surprised him by telling him that he’d deposited Alex’s rent payments in a savings account over the years and that the substantial sum of money was now his! Alex wept as he received the lavish gift.
In Leviticus 25, God gave Moses commands for the Israelites that included allowing those in need “to live with you” (v. 35 nlt). This command was part of God enacting “a jubilee year” (v. 10 nlt)—when debts were forgiven, those in poverty were helped, and the enslaved were freed (vv. 23-55). He declared that He’d lovingly led His people “out of Egypt to give [them] the land of Canaan and to be [their] God” (v. 38). He’d provided a new homeland, and now they were to imitate Him by showing love and opening their homes to others.
The apostle John would later write, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 John 3:1). By Jesus’ sacrifice we can receive the fullness of that lavish love (v. 16). And as He helps us, we can lavish it on others.
By Tom Felten
REFLECT & PRAY
How have you experienced God’s lavish love? How can you extend it to others?
Loving God, please help me pour out Your amazing, lavish love on others.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
As the nation of Israel began to take shape, God wanted them to understand how they were to treat each other. Enslaving fellow Israelites was never to be part of the equation. “If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you,” He said, “help them as you would a foreigner and stranger” (Leviticus 25:35). And if any of them “become poor and sell themselves to you, do not make them work as slaves” (v. 39). Even this arrangement of indentured servitude wasn’t permanent. God said, “They are to work for you until the Year of Jubilee [every fiftieth year]. Then they and their children are to be released, and they will go back to their own clans and to the property of their ancestors” (vv. 40-41). It’s God’s desire that we never exploit one another but look out for each other’s interests. Because He lavished His love on us by sending Jesus, He’ll help us lavish His love on others.
Tim Gustafson
UR: Humble Service
Paul wrote, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.” - 1 Timothy 1:12 (NIV)
In , our church started providing medical equipment like folding walkers, wheelchairs, toilet chairs, and beds with handles to people in need. A committee was formed, and I was entrusted as the president. We helped many people.
While doing this work, I was inspired by the Bible stories that give insight about service. Jesus humbly served others many times. John 13:4-5 states, “He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet.” Moreover, he served others when he healed people with leprosy, made the blind see and the lame walk, and healed people who were possessed. Scripture makes it clear that Jesus valued service and asked his followers to serve too. For example, Peter healed a man who could not walk (see Acts 3:1-10), and the story of the good Samaritan teaches the importance of service as well (see Lk. 10:25-37).
We are called to serve with faith and joy. If we adopt an attitude of willingness to serve others, surely the Lord will work through us.
's Prayer
Merciful God, we pray that you will open our hearts and guide us to serve others joyfully. We thank you for hearing our prayers. Amen.
Connection blogs:
Heaven-Sent Revival Is Our Only Hope
How does revival come? Any student of revival will tell you that there has never been a revival without a movement of prayer. God always calls His people to prayer in anticipation of revival. I would ask you to get serious about praying for revival. We need to shift our prayer focus to the issues that are close to God’s heart, especially that His people, His Church, would wake up and discover the presence of Jesus in our midst.
When that happens, our lives become different. When Jesus is there, suddenly things that we accepted before, are no longer acceptable. Some of the things that go on in our church and in our society are changed because it is the Lord who is present. That is why in those great revivals in the past, there was a bit of emotionalism. Suddenly they came into a church service and there was Jesus. Now they did not see Him in the flesh, but there was a powerful sense of the presence of Jesus. What do you suppose happens if you come into a church service during a revival and there is a strong sense of the presence of Jesus and you’ve been sinning all week? When you come into the presence of the awesome holiness of God suddenly there is weeping, crying out, and sometimes even falling down before God in repentance.
Heaven-sent revival is our only hope. We don’t have answers. We don’t know what to do. We don’t have any programs in our churches that are changing whole communities and our society. It’s just not happening. What we need is God.
How do you pray for revival? Psalm 85 is a good place to begin: “You showed favor to Your land, O Lord. You restored the fortunes of Jacob. You forgave the iniquity of Your people and covered all their sins. You set aside all Your wrath and turned from Your fierce anger. Restore us again, O Lord our Savior, and put away Your displeasure toward us. Will You be angry with us forever? Will You prolong Your anger through all generations? Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?”
Based on that passage we will find ourselves praying, “Lord, revive us again, do it again in our day.” We will come before God saying, “Lord, this is what you have done and this is what we want you to do in our life and in our nation.
--Adapted from Praying for Revival, an article by Dave Butts. Dave is the author of many books, including Prayer, Peace and the Presence of God. This book is available at prayerleader.com. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
Prayer Points
Worship God with reverence and awe as a consuming fire blazing with holiness (Heb. 12:28-29).
Give thanks for his plan to refine your faith through trials and tests (Jas. 1:2-4).
Confess any times this week when you have not seen God’s purpose for you in these trials (Mal. 3:2-4).
Commit yourself to submitting to God’s testing in your life.
Ask God to strengthen you with his power (Eph. 6:10-11).
Pray for those who are undergoing severe testing, that God may show them his purpose and strengthen them in their weakness (Heb. 12:7-13).
Prayer Points taken from Patterns for Prayer by Alvin VanderGriend. This book is available at prayerleader.com. Use the code CONPSP3 at checkout to receive an additional 10% discount.
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