we minister like the first church found in Acts 2. Maybe read and meditate on that . What's your part in God's Good News Delivery Co. as we minister with bread, food, and the Living Word ?
Bread with Weis 10-12 / Dinner Huddle 6-7:30
*Note: The Clothing Closet reopens Sept 19th. (If you know of any needs let us know and we will try to help)
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Good Morning Humble, Bold and Courageous, Persevering Servants of the Lord! AMEN! May that be me and us Lord! Prepare, send and use me/us well. Protect, provide, deliver and guide. Thanks! Amen!
Are you humbling yourself before the Lord, asking for His strength and help to be bold and courageous as you continue on in the mission he created you for? Talk to Him and your team about that. make corrections. Choose to stand firm in faith and persevere until he calls you home or returns. We are created, gifted, activated and sent for such a time as this. God is with us and for us. Worship. Surrender all and be all in! He loves that and will help, Having good teammates helps too!
Check out our devotionals for as they informed the salutation and this line of thought. ask God how He wants you to serve and for His eyes, ears an d heart, passion and compassion and for willing feet and hands. Read and meditate on 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 from ODB. Life is hard, BUT GOD! May we endure as Jesus did and may we always stand firm and glorify God. We all face giants at times. Will you run and hide or run at them in the name of the Lord and overcome! Think about these things and ask God and your trusted accountability partners what you need to work on and where you need to be humble but strong in Christ. He is the Way and He is yoked to you. Well, He wants to be. Are you willing to be yoked to Him and moving with Him? Talk to God about that with a heart willing to persevere in faith and allowing Him to be strong through your weaknesses. Amen!
UR: The Blessing of Humility
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. - Matthew 5:3 (NIV)
I had volunteered at a church event to distribute food and help clean up. Initially this felt like an insignificant job, and I was reluctant. My friends were on stage leading worship, hosting, and preaching, while I was cleaning up in the back. I began to feel left out. However, I gradually realized that this simple task had meaning. Through serving I connected with people and saw those in need of help, and I found a sense of fulfillment and peace.
In those moments, I realized that when Jesus spoke of the “poor in spirit,” he may have been talking about not being self-centered, focusing instead on God’s calling and love for others. Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit,” because a humble heart allows us to rely more deeply on God, enabling us to experience the peace and blessings of the kingdom in any situation.
In daily life, we may encounter tasks that seem small and are often overlooked. However, when we embrace these with humility and give our best, we can experience God’s presence even in these small acts of service. True blessings are not born out of pride or self-interest but flow from a humble heart. God’s grace, like a spring, nourishes our lives and refreshes the hearts of others.
's Prayer
Dear Lord, grant us humble hearts so that we will lean on you and feel your peace and blessing. Amen.
Before our trip to Switzerland, my mental snapshot was of snowy Alps, goats grazing, and mountain farmers blowing alpine horns. However, as we drove south from Zurich, the landscape was the same drab tangle of highways we saw in any city. When we got close to our lodging, we had to drive up a precarious one-lane dirt road. At our rental place, we hauled our suitcases up steep stone stairways. Exhausted and disappointed, we finally made our way onto the patio. And there, opening up before us, stretched an extraordinary vista: the Alps rising up majestically over the blue expanse of Lake Lucerne, with small towns glittering like fireflies below us. The ordeal was worth it.
I recalled the verse, “Therefore we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 4:16). The apostle Paul writes of his own struggles: “We are hard pressed on every side, but . . . not in despair” (v. 8). He reveals his positive outlook: “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (v. 17). He advises us to “fix our eyes . . . on what is unseen” (v. 18), to hope for that eternal landscape.
Sometimes our journey is drab and difficult. But in Christ, we’re assured that we’ll witness the ultimate snapshot. The ordeal will be worth it: His eternal glory far surpasses anything we can imagine.
By Kenneth Petersen
REFLECT & PRAY
What are the difficult roads in your life these days? What does “eternal glory” mean to you?
Loving God, I need encouragement through this tough journey. I pray for assurance of Your eternal glory. For further study, read Paul’s Pain and His Passion: 2 Corinthians 5 at odbm.org.
SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
The encouragement about suffering that the apostle Paul expresses in 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 is similarly noted in Romans 8: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (v. 18). How encouraging it is to know that as believers in Jesus in a fallen world, we’ve been given God’s Spirit (v. 23) to be with us as we traverse life’s pleasant and unpleasant territory. When we face trials, the Bible reminds us that they’re “achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
For further study, read: Paul's Pain and His Passion
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