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Wednesday, October 18 2023
Good Morning Talented, Useful Servants of the Lord! Many wonder how they could be of any use to God. Sometimes this is a result of sinful choices and thinking one is beyond forgiveness. We know better, but that still enters our thinking at times. Some think they are too old, weak, untalented, you can add whatever your excuse is. BUT GOD! You were created with talent and abilities to accomplish God's purposes. Your purposes are not like anyone else's. You are uniquely and custom made for many purposes of God that align with your abilities, knowledge, age, and situations of life. Think about the evangelist (can't remember his name right now) that was born with no arms and legs. He has speaking engagements all over the world where He proclaims God's goodness, mercy and love. We all have purposes from God for today and everyday where we grow into His greater things. We were created with purpose. Our lives have meaning no matter the stage of life we are in. And we all are needed to do our part in God's Body. Again, something everyone can do, and were given the ability to be effective at conversion, is pray! Everything God has for us as individuals and His Church is birthed from prayer. Pray-ers are VITAL in our Good News Delivery Co. Check out this blog from Harvest Prayer Ministries about Prayerfully Growing Our Church: https://www.harvestprayer.com/book-of-acts-praying-best-practice-for-church-growth/ and keep praying and birthing God's will for St. Matts! He has great plans for us awaiting our prayers! Check out the UR devo below too with the reminder that God does hear our prayers. ODB reminds us to use what we have for Christ. That describes St. Matts. and our ministries and why we are a pretty healthy church. We have discovered that if we focus on using what we've been given for God's glory, He uses and blesses and grows. To those who are faithful in little, more will be added. Amen! Stop longing and craving things you don't have. Be content with and use what God has given. He promises to provide where He guides. And He is faithful to do so! PTL! Look at your life and discover what God has given you that He has provided for you use to go love others. We all have purposes that God is leading us too and He gives us what we need to do them. If His provision isn't there, stop banging your head against the closed door. Ask for eyes to see His provision for you (and us for our church) and follow His peace and provision. As we faithfully do and steward well all His blessings, more doors will open and more provisions will come. You are uniquely designed and provided for to fulfill your created purposes for such a time as this. It's Jesus' easy yoke you get to put on when you discover and do them. Let us continue to pray for eyes to see, others to see and encourage each other to God's best. Ask Him to grow us into our fuller potential where we will find much joy and satisfaction in Christ. Amen!
Praying and releasing provisions and direction and using what you have for God's glory is our mission. As we continue to grow at that, we will grow into the dynamic movement of God that He is opening the door for us to step through. PTL! Seek, knock, shed the baggage and maybe even the good and better things for God's best. He is lovingly leading you to your purposes and growing you in preparation for the life to come! Rejoice! Know His shalom and blessings and be filled with great joy! Amen!
Upper Room: God Hears Us
Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored his name. - Malachi 3:16 (NIV)
A friend and I meet monthly to pray. We share our worries and answered prayers then spend some time talking to God about these things. We have seen prayers answered over the years and have supported one another through difficult times.
One time, when we met to pray, my friend shared something that was really bothering her. It took her a long time to share her story, and all our time together was used up talking through this one incident. At the end of our time together, my friend was distressed because we had not prayed in our usual way. But throughout her story, I had asked her questions, and we had discussed what we thought Christ’s response would be.
I expressed to her my confidence that God had heard our conversation and was fully aware of the situation. God knew her heart’s desire was to honor God in the situation. Just as God heard the concerns of the Israelites when they were in Egypt, God hears us — before we even speak. Though we had not gone through our usual routine of talking and then praying, I know that God was present with us.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we thank you that you hear our words and know what is on our hearts. Amen.
Our Daily Bread:
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Ever heard of The Sewing Hall of Fame? Established in 2001, it recognizes people that have made “a lasting impact on the home sewing industry with unique and innovative contributions through sewing education and product development.” It includes individuals like Martha Pullen, inducted into the hall in 2005, who is described as “a Proverbs 31 woman who . . . never failed to publicly acknowledge the source of her strength, inspiration, and blessings.”
The Sewing Hall of Fame is a twenty-first-century invention, but had it been around during the first century in Israel, a woman named Tabitha might have been a lock for induction. Tabitha was a believer in Jesus and a seamstress who spent time sewing for poor widows in her community (Acts 9:36, 39). After she became ill and died, disciples sent for Peter to see if God would work a miracle through him. When he arrived, weeping widows showed him robes and other clothing that Tabitha had made for them (v. 39). These clothes were evidence of her “always doing good” for the poor in her city (v. 36). By God’s power, Tabitha was restored to life.
God calls and equips us to use our skills to meet needs that are present in our community and world. Let’s release our skills into the service of Jesus and see how He’ll use our acts of love to stitch hearts and lives together (Ephesians 4:16).
By Marvin Williams
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What talents and abilities has God given you? How can you use them to help people in need?
Dear Jesus, please help me to respond with love and compassion to the needs of others.
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SCRIPTURE INSIGHT
Jesus commanded His disciples to be His “witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Because of persecution, the believers “were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria” (8:1). Philip went to Samaria to preach the gospel (vv. 4–5) as well as Peter and John (v. 14). Luke highlighted Peter’s ministry in Lydda and Joppa (Acts 9:32–43), commercial towns with large numbers of gentiles. After raising Dorcas from the dead, Peter stayed in Joppa “for some time” (v. 43). While praying, he saw a vision of unclean animals (10:9–16), reiterating that “God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of . . . receiving eternal life” (11:18 nlt). It was from Joppa that Jonah sailed for Tarshish instead of going to Nineveh to tell gentiles about God (Jonah 1:3). It’s significant that from Joppa, God now calls Peter to proclaim the good news to the gentiles (Acts 10:24–48).
K. T. Sim |
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Don 
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