I love when our two church worlds come together. We had nine of our children and teens participate in the service yesterday along with two sets of their parents with us. What a blessing! Bringing our Tuesday night group together with our Sunday morning group is a treasure God gives from time to time. I love to see the interaction between people. I also was blessed when the teens and children worked hard to make Thanksgiving cards for the shut-ins. I love to see how the older ones work with the younger ones. Those there yesterday are the core of our Tuesday night group. A lot of them have been there since the beginning. They love each other and show it well. They are sponges to what we teach them. Oh how I pray it oozes out of them in their daily lives. I pray what we are teaching them and showing them by our lives is seen as a 'good' thing. I pray for them to think about us when they need encouragement but most importantly I pray they will turn to God. The Lord took me to Psalm 119 this morning. He had me pondering on verses eighty-nine through ninety-six. In the New International Version it reads...
89 Your word, Lord, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.
91 Your laws endure to this day,
for all things serve you.
92 If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
93 I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have preserved my life.
94 Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought out your precepts.
95 The wicked are waiting to destroy me,
but I will ponder your statutes.
96 To all perfection I see a limit,
but your commands are boundless.
This! Woo hoo! These verses tell us how we need to live for Him. We need to be in His Word, standing firm in what it says. As we live such a life, we will live with Him for eternity. Woo hoo! That is my goal not only for myself but for all I meet. The only way people will be able to live such a life is for me and other believers to share His love. Verse ninety-five holds so much truth. The enemy wants to destroy. We cannot allow him even one open door or he will have his way. Instead we need to stay prayed up, reading His Word, listening to God and walking in obedience, and loving as He loves. It is crucial for us to live a such a life 24/7. As we do, we will be empowered to stand upon II Timothy 1:7. We will be encouraged by God to do as He desires of us. He loves us so much and does not want to see us fail. He wants to see us win over the enemy. He desires us to have victory when defeat seems to be the only way out. We don't have to be defeated because Jesus died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and rose again so we can live! Woo hoo! The words to the song How He Loves is in my heart this morning...
And we are His portion and
He is our prize
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes
If His grace is an ocean, we're all sinking
And Heaven meets Earth like an unforeseen kiss
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest
Yes! He is the Prize I will never be sorry I accepted. His love, mercy, and grace are all I need. There are times like yesterday where I felt like I would explode with the way He poured out His love on me. He loves me so much and I am so grateful for glimpses of what morning worship can and will look like someday. I have fond memories of being in Willard with all generations represented. I know that memory will become a reality in the near future. I also know God is preparing the Beaufort Church of the Nazarene family for such a time.
Dear Jesus,
Thank You for the blessings of yesterday and the blessings ahead in this day! Thank You for those who were in service yesterday! Thank You for the way You worked through the children and teens yesterday! Thank You for giving Doc strength to not just get through the service but to be blessed through it! Father, use us in the way You desire us to be used. Open our minds and hearts to what You desire of us. Lord, may Your love ooze out of us today in a new, different way. May You be seen/heard in our actions, words, and attitude. Before this can happen we need You to cleanse us of anything that is not of You. Cleanse us so You can fill us with more of You. Father, I thank You for going before us and empowering us to knock the enemy down when he comes knocking at our door. I pray for those with physical, mental, emotional and financial needs today but most of all I pray for those with spiritual needs to turn to You. Thank You Jesus for being My Prize! Amen.
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