Plans

Jeremiah 29:11

Question about spiritual birthdays

I have a quick question for everyone:
How do you feel about putting spiritual birthdays (month and day only) on either the blog or the facebook page? Please let me know.

James 1:2-3

Pure Joy 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.”  James 1:2-3

 Pure joy is the position and privilege of the person who follows Jesus Christ. Ironically, Jesus-generated joy is discovered and developed in the face of trials. Trials are designed to bring out God’s best and, consequently, your best as well. You’re going through your current trial by fire so that your faith can become more sincere and real during adversity’s affliction. This is your time to experience God’s faithfulness, for His joy and contentment are calming. The presence of Christ gives you reassurance and peace. He is the joy-giver, while Satan is the joy-killer.

Therefore, you can smile, because your smile, while enduring a trial, is the result of pure joy. It’s pure joy because God can be trusted. It’s pure joy because your faith is real and robust and Christ is faithful. It’s pure joy because you will persevere by faith. Indeed, untested faith is a naïve faith. Until your faith has been refined through various trials, it will remain immature and judgmental. You can understand others’ perspectives and respect them more when you have been broken over your own inadequacies and sins. Trials slow you down enough to allow you to look into the mirror and ask what needs to change. How can you lead and serve your family and friends during this time of unprecedented turmoil and tentativeness? Pure joy comes as a result of your faith changing and growing.
   
God is your agent of change. The work of God in and through your life produces pure joy. Change can be painful, but God administers pure joy at the point of your pain. It is the result of the Holy Spirit’s fullness: “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 13:52). Therefore, learn how to accept the pure joy of the Lord. It is available for you to receive. Do not see your present predicament as a setback. Instead, see your current condition as an opportunity—an opportunity to engage more deeply and more fully with your heavenly Father. Sometimes, it takes trials and tests to slow you down enough to look into the joyful face of Jesus. He is the personification of pure joy.
   
Jesus understood pure joy because He was focused on following the will of His Father (John 17:4). His heart was full of joy because He knew He was about His Father’s business. Yes, His heart broke at times but He suffered out of joyful obedience (Hebrews 12:2). In the middle of His most adverse circumstance, Jesus still cried out to His heavenly Father. His intimacy with the Father was strengthened during difficulty. No person or circumstance, not even the devil, kept Him from pure joy.

Invite the pure joy of God to reign over your anxious heart as well. You can smile and place your refined faith in Him. He is building your faith capacity for the long run. The Bible says, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). Pure joy does not depend on good circumstances; it thrives during trials and tribulations. Unleash the pure joy that already lives within, for He is faithful. Above all, promote pure joy and persevere in its promise.

Prayer

Jeff saw Bessie's sister today and she asked for extra prayer for Bessie and Grayson today. Jeff doesn't have any details yet, but we all know the power of prayer. I'm adding an additional request: please pray that, through this situation, Bessie will come to know God.

Red Sea Rules

Rule #1 

Realize that God means for you to be where you are. 

Remember, that the Lord had appointed a way for his people. There was not only a guide (Moses), but a way. But where was that way? Mountains blocked them on either side. They could not turn back, for Pharaoh shut up that route. Where should they go? The reedy Red Sea rolled across their front. Hearken! Their way is across the bottom of that sea, and up from its depths to the other shore.

 A strange path! "It is no way at all," cries unbelief. Have you never read concerning God, "Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known." Tried believer, the Lord will make a way for you where no foot has been before. That which, like a sea, threatens to drown you, shall be a highway for your escape.

Psalm 77:19-20

English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁹ Your way was through the sea,
    your path through the great waters;
    yet your footprints were unseen.^[a]
20 You led your people like a flock
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

We are going to face trials, troubles and sorrows. I don’t have the wisdom, I don’t have God’s personal phone number, I can’t tell you why or how things will turn out.
But I can say with confidence that no matter the situation, no matter the sorrow, no matter the trouble you face in this world, there is a God who loves you. There is a God who Provides for you in your time of need.
There is a God who is in control and can give you strength, give you endurance, give you power, give you victory and even overturn any bad situation and use it for His glory.

South African pastor Andrew Murray once faced a terrible crisis. Gathering himself into his study, he sat a long while quietly, prayerfully, thoughtfully. His mind flew at last to Jesus, and picking up his pen wrote these words in his journal:
First, He brought me here, it is by His will that I am in this straight place: in that fact I will rest. Next, He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace to behave as His child.

Then, He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow.
Last, in His good time He can bring me out again—how and when He knows.
“The more we trust the sovereignty of heaven, the less we fear the calamities of earth.”

Today the trials may be upon you. If not today, then tomorrow or the next, or next week. They are coming. But you are not alone. God has made a provision for you in Jesus, but only if you receive His gift of forgiveness. Without Him, you can do nothing to overcome your trials.

 

Gift Basket for Jeff's Coworker

  Thank you to everyone who is praying for Jeff's co-worker Bessie, and her son. Thank you also to those who have  contributed to a care basket. We will be delivering it tomorrow. What a wonderful way to show God's love! We are planting seeds and are excited to see what comes of it. Please continue to pray for the health of Bessie's  little one and pray that God will use us to minister to her and show God's love.

See With Their Ears

     A year ago, my husband and I had our first experience with intense weather. A very small tornado ripped through our yard, taking three of six Bradford pear trees that lined our yard yet sparing our house and car. Many areas surrounding our town had damage that was much more extensive while some homes had only one or two branches down. 

     In the days that followed, everyone had an eye-witness story about the tornado, no matter where they were when it hit. If you did not witness the tornado, you were an outsider and not convinced it was as bad as reported. When my husband and I told the story to some relatives who do not live nearby, their response was: "Are you sure it was a tornado?" 

     We love to witness things. The phrase, "I'll believe it when I see it," is all too common. Christians and non-Christians alike often desire to see with their own eyes the miracles of Jesus, meaning that His word is not enough for them. The problem with this thinking is that even if we do witness things, sometimes we still do not believe in the validity of the event. If your favorite baseball team lost to a despised rival and you were there, you still might not believe the other team is better. 

     You and I can't make others believe in Jesus. We can only report what we know to be true about Him. The hearts of non-Christians are out of our control. Does our story sound crazy? Absolutely! Would it help to see some evidence? Maybe and maybe not. Without the power of the Holy Spirit, I couldn't believe in a resurrected Savior. We are only called to testify, not prove. 

 

                                                                                                                         Emily Jennings

Romans 5:8

"Take a stroll out to the hill. Out to Calvary. Out to the cross where, with holy blood, the hand that placed you on the earth wrote the promise, "God would give up his only son before he'd give up on you."
God, may we never be so educated, may we never be so mature, may we never be so religious that we can see your passion without tears. Sunday's coming!!" 

A friend of mine put this as a status update on her facebook page, and I really felt that I needed to share it. I still have a hard time grasping the enormity of what was given. For me. Praise God, whose love knows no bounds!

"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners , Christ died for us."
                                                                                               -Romans 5:8

"Jesus Rose From the Dead"

Much of this week's lesson has an apologetics feel to it.   Is there rational, reasonable evidence to support the incredible claim that Jesus rose from the dead? A fun way to introduce the lesson would be to talk about popular conspiracy theories that abound today. UFO's. Elvis sightings. Astronauts didn't really land on the moon. The list goes on and on. 

One of my son's favorite shows on The Discovery Channel is Mythbusters. Here is a short video from an episode in which the "moon landing was a hoax" conspiracy was debunked. You can talk about some of the other conspiracy theories by following some of these links. But make sure you don't lose the main point/focus of this weeks lesson: 

Why is belief so hard for some people, even when the evidence is overwhelming? 

Top Ten Conspiracy Theories

Resurrection Morning

Matthew 28:1-10 
1 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, •Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb. 2 Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it.3 His appearance was like lightning, and his robe was as white as snow.4 The guards were so shaken from fear of him that they became like dead men.5 But the angel told the women, “Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.6 He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.7 Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘ He has been raised from the dead. In fact, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”8 So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell His disciples the news. 9 Just then Jesus met them and said, “Good morning!” They came up, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him.10 Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see Me there.”

On the Go Devotions

Jesus Rose From the Dead, Part One: Proof of a Guarded Tomb

Background Passages: Matthew 27:57-28:20; Luke 24:13-35

Today's Focal Passage: (Matthew 27:62-66, HCSB)

62 The next day, which followed the preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, "Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive, He said, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64 Therefore give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come, steal Him, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead.' Then the last deception will be worse than the first. 65 You have a guard [of soldiers], Pilate told them. "Go and make it as secure as you know how.66 Then they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting the guard.


Brownie Protection Program

My husband really loves it when I make Cookie Dough Brownies (a specialty of mine). The problem is he does not like it if I make them for other people because I will not let him cut into the perfect 9x13 sheet of goodness.

One night, I made them to take to a ladies event. As I was getting ready for work the next day, he came into the bedroom and made a comment about the brownies sitting innocently on the counter. I grinned and kept working on my hair. The longer he talked about them and the more I thought about it, I began to wonder if he would actually take one for his lunch if I left them unguarded. Surely he knows he can't have one. He's never cut into a designated dessert before.
 You could call it erring on the side of caution or merely saving myself a few steps for the evening. Any way you slice it, I scooped up the brownies and put them in the back seat of the car. At church that night, I passed him in the hallway. "So where were those brownies this afternoon?" he asked. "Safely out of your reach," I said. "You didn't really think I was going to take them, did you?" I smiled and replied, "You looked for them, didn't you?"

Honestly, I don't think he would have taken one, but I had to be sure. The Pharisees didn't think Jesus would come back to life, but they knew He and His followers absolutely believed He would. An empty grave would confirm it. The Son of God was not a harmless blip on the Pharisees' radar but a force they knew to be reckoned with. Jesus did rise and they couldn't stop Him (even by hiding Him in the backseat).

Emily Jennings

Digging Deeper: The "Swoon" Theory

Modern opponents of Christianity have suggested that Jesus merely "swooned" or passed out on the cross and awoke in the tomb. Again, this goes against the evidence of Scripture. According to John 19:31-34, the professional soldier in charge of hastening Jesus' death before the Sabbath came to Jesus and saw that He was dead; therefore he did not break Jesus' legs, an act that sped up the dying process so the executed would not continue to hang on the cross on the Sabbath. Instead, the soldier stabbed Jesus with a spear, and blood and water came from His side. This is a condition that some people have said indicated death by a heart that literally burst from emotional or physical anguish.

Count it all joy

            We've been seeing God do amazing things in Greater Love Small Group. Tricia made the decision to hand her life over to God! There will be a potluck following her baptism. This is definitely something worth celebrating!
             Many in our class have been going through trials during this past week. It may not seem like it, but it's a good thing. God is working, and Satan doesn't like it (I'm paraphrasing Mitzi here). Here is a verse that encourages me when the going gets a bit tough:

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing".
                           -James 1:2-4

Have a great week!