Monday, January 31, 2011
Prayer Requests
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Prayers and Praises
Turn On the Light
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” (Acts 16:25-31, NIV: emphasis mine)
Now let’s discuss the jailer for a moment. When he was in the dark, he was afraid and prepared to kill himself based on fear and what he thought was the truth; but he heard Paul’s voice and asked for the light. Once he was in the light, he was no longer afraid; and he made the choice of salvation. Let’s go over that again. When he was in the dark, he was afraid and ready to make a really bad choice on what he thought he knew. Once he heard the call and asked for the light, he was no longer afraid and he chose God. Now, let’s apply this to our own lives. How often do we sit in the dark feeling fear and despair, making decisions based on what we think is the truth without ever asking God to shed His light on the subject? God’s light shows truth; and in the case of the jailer, the truth was that the prisoners were still there and he no longer had to be afraid. So you may ask, “What is my truth?” Well, I can’t answer that completely because only God knows your situation fully. I can say, however, that there is a truth you can always count on. No matter what is going on, or how hopeless you may feel, God will always be there for you; and just like the jailer, you no longer have to be afraid. So the next time you’re sitting in the dark believing that your situation is impossible, ask God to turn on the light. What you see might surprise you.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Caring for One Another
Prayer Requests
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Freedom to Choose
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“…The Lord sets prisoners free.” (Psalm 146:7, NIV)
“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17, NIV)
What this all says to me is that I am free. Free from what? I was still there in the snow, feeling helpless to change anything. So here’s another scripture I came to:
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:18-21, NIV)
Then I realized where my freedom lies. It’s in the power to choose. I have the choice to move somewhere warm, but I choose to stay here because I believe I have been led back to Boone in order to finish my degree. I have the choice to stay upset about the snow, something I can’t control; but I choose to have a good attitude in the midst of a frustrating situation. I can choose to continue looking at what seems like the cause of my trouble, the snow; or I can choose to look to God and the blessings He has for me every day.
Now, as God was giving me all these “a-ha” moments, He also reminded me of how Paul and Silas acted when they were in prison:
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.” (Acts 16:25-31, NIV)
Paul and Silas sat worshipping God in the midst of terrible conditions. And when they had the freedom to leave, they chose to stay. Their choices, their actions, their attitudes, glorified God and in the end brought the jailer and his family to Christ. As followers we have the same freedoms given to Paul and Silas. We are free to look at our circumstances in frustration or free to look to God in praise. And whether we realize it or not, those choices we make affect not only our lives but the lives of others. So tomorrow, when the local forecast is predicting one more storm, and I begin thinking about all the ways I have to rearrange my life in order to accommodate the weather, I will have a decision to make. Let’s hope I make the right one.
Monday, January 10, 2011
They Can Huff and They Can Puff...
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Isaiah 28:16
2 Timothy 2:19
1 Corinthians 3:11-15
Matthew 7:24-27
Ephesians 2:19-
Sunday, January 9, 2011
What Are We Waiting For?
Prayer Requests
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Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Prayers and Praises
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Please pray for Miss Inus. She's not been feeling well.
Please pray for the Greenes. They recently had a death in the family.
"I will proclaim the name of the Lord. Oh praise the greatness of our God! He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he." (Deuteronomy 32:3-4, NIV)
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Lesson for a New Year
The Right Time is Right Now
(01/04/11)
Ok, so it’s a New Year, and what do we all do when the New Year rolls around? We make resolutions. We resolve to lose weight (I know I have after eating way too much!). We resolve to read our Bibles more, stay more organized, spend more time with friends and family, prayer more, start a new hobby, etc. We all want to make a change in our lives for the better. What we forget, however, is that the “new you” doesn’t have to wait for the New Year. We have a God whose grace and mercy is new every day. (Lamentations 3:22-23) We have a God who says we don’t have to wait until the timing is just right to start fresh. We can do that at any time of any day of our lives. You know what else is cool? It’s not all up to us. He tells us in Philippians 1:6, “… he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (NIV) God knows that we can’t do this on our own; and if we ask Him, he will give us the strength, motivation, passion, etc that we need to succeed. So the next time we decide to wait for the “right time” to come along, we need to say a prayer and check our watches. The “right time” may be “right now”.
Ezekial 36:26
2 Corinthians 5:17