Importance of Letting It Go!

Proverbs 16; Proverbs 17; Proverbs 18; Romans 12
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Scripture

Proverbs 17

9 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,
but dwelling on it separates close friends.

Observation

I have watched people hold on to grudges and not even want to let them go and I have watched those same people let that grudge control them. Forgiveness is the key to healthy relationships and a life filled with joy. Hold on to a grudge or a wrong that someone has done to you and you will become a bitter ugly person. Love is able to prosper when we let the other person off the hook.

Application

I will help others understand the importance of letting go and not hold grudges.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for forgiving me. Help me not to hold grudges with those that hurt me. Help me help others to learn the importance of forgiveness.

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I Am Not Ashamed of The Gospel!

This will be my last post for a week because I will be in Cuba on a mission trip until May 28th. Pray for us!

1 Kings 6; 2 Chronicles 3; Psalm 97; Romans 1
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Scripture

Romans 1

16I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

Observation

The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes so the more we share the more people come to a personal relationship with Christ.

Application

I want to share Christ with everyone that I have a chance to talk to. I am traveling to Cuba tomorrow and will not be able to write on my blog. Pray that I will be bold in my witness and that people will see Christ in my life and respond to His Good News.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me be bold in my faith as I travel for You this week. Give us opportunities to share our faith effectively and boldly. I pray for the students that will make up this team. Bless them and their leader and use them in a mighty way for Your kingdom. Amen.

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I Will…I Will Not…Life … a series of Choices!

1 Kings 4; 1 Kings 5; 2 Chronicles 2; Psalm 101; 2 Thessalonians 3
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Scripture

Psalm 101

1 I will sing of your love and justice, LORD.
I will praise you with songs.
2 I will be careful to live a blameless life—
when will you come to help me?
I will lead a life of integrity
in my own home.
3 I will refuse to look at
anything vile and vulgar.
I hate all who deal crookedly;
I will have nothing to do with them.
4 I will reject perverse ideas
and stay away from every evil.
5 I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
I will not endure conceit and pride.
6 I will search for faithful people
to be my companions.
Only those who are above reproach
will be allowed to serve me.
7 I will not allow deceivers to serve in my house,
and liars will not stay in my presence.
8 My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked
and free the city of the LORD from their grip.

Observation

In this Psalm we find some good advice on how we should live our lives. Everyday we have to make choices. We have to say, “yes” to some things and hopefully “no” to other things.

Here are a few of the ones I picked out of this Psalm that I have already made a decision to do and not to do:

• I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.

• I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.

These two really stick out to me and I have already made these same commitments for my life. How about you? What are you looking at that you shouldn’t be looking at? Have you made the decision to live a life of integrity in your home? Can your children and your spouse see that you have made a choice to live a life of integrity?

Application

I will continue to choose not to look at anything vile and vulgar and I will lead a life of integrity in my home.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me lead a life of integrity. Keep me away from evil. Don’t let me fall for the tricks of the Evil one. Help me live in a way that my children and my grandchildren can see that I am a person of integrity. Help me to say “no” to the things that would not bring You glory and help me to say “yes” to those things that would exalt You. Thank You for giving me the desire to want to walk with You and the desire to stay away from evil. Keep me out of the reach of the Evil one today.

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Biblical Story Telling

1 Kings 3; 2 Chronicles 1; Psalm 78; 2 Thessalonians 2
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Scripture

Psalm 78

1 O my people, listen to my instructions.
Open your ears to what I am saying,
2 for I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
3 stories we have heard and known,
stories our ancestors handed down to us.
4 We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the LORD,
about his power and his mighty wonders.

Observation

The Bible is one big story of God’s love for us, but it is also a book full of stories that need to be told and retold to each generation. Story telling will help bring to life the Bibles that people are not reading. The Bible is the living word of God and it is powerful, but it has to get into someone’s life for it to have an influence.

We have become a people that spend more time in front of television listening to secular stories than people of God’s word. We have got to get back to telling and retelling the wonderful life changing stories from the Word of God. What is your favorite story in the Bible? Do you have a favorite? David and Goliath, or maybe Noah and the flood, or maybe Jonah and the giant fish (could have been a whale), all these are great stories but there so many more that might be your favorites.

Application

I will learn how to be a Biblical Story Teller for God’s glory.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me learn how to tell Your stories. Give me the ability and the desire to learn how to share them with others. I pray that our people would embrace this in their small groups and I pray that we would be able to start many new small groups in the fall. Help us do it for Your glory.

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Praying for Others

1 Kings 2; 1 Chronicles 29; Psalm 95; 2 Thessalonians 1
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Scripture

2 Thessalonians 1

11 So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do. 12 Then the name of our Lord Jesus will be honored because of the way you live, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the grace of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Observation

This is a great prayer to pray for those around you. Who needs your prayer today? Why not pray that they would live a life worthy of His call. And why not pray for them that God would give them the power to accomplish all the good things that their faith prompts them to do.

Application

I will pray for people this way today. I will pray it as a blessing.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I pray for Kathy today. I pray that You would enable Kathy to live a life worthy of her call. I pray that You give her the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts her to do. So that Your name will be glorified through her today! I pray this same prayer for the leaders of our church.

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Encourage One Another …Build Each Other Up!

1 Kings 1; 1 Chronicles 28; Psalm 91; 1 Thessalonians 5
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Scripture

1 Thessalonians 5

11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

Observation

Take time to read Psalm 91 this morning it will make your day. If you don’t think God cares about you then you really need to read Psalm 91! The Psalm says that God’s promises are our armor. In 1 Thessalonians 5 you will also be encouraged this morning as you read it. Paul says that God’s faith and His love protect us as armor.
God tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 to encourage one another and to build each other up.

“14 Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone.

15 See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

16 Always be joyful. 17 Never stop praying. 18 Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

19 Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. 20 Do not scoff at prophecies, 21 but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. 22 Stay away from every kind of evil.”

Application

I will put into practice today 1 Thessalonians 5 and I will encourage others and build them up.


Prayer

Heavenly Father, Your word is so powerful. I pray that Your word will take control of my life today. I pray that its power would be evident in my life. May Your word come to life to day as I share it. I pray that it would touch and impact peoples’ lives and move them closer to You today. I pray that You fill me with Your Holy Spirit and help me encourage and build others up as I have the opportunity.

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Don’t Meddle!

1 Chronicles 25; 1 Chronicles 26; 1 Chronicles 27; 1 Thessalonians 4
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Scripture

1 Thessalonians 4

11 Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. 12 Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.

Observation

There is a big difference between helping and meddling … isn’t there! Meddling is all about control and it comes from a very selfish heart. Helping someone and encouraging someone is very selfless and it comes from a very loving and generous heart.

I guess it makes it easier on ourselves if we are always looking at what others are doing wrong and trying to make suggestions how to fix the problems we see that they have rather than working on our own shortcomings. I think it is the beam and speck problem that Jesus talked about when he said, why are you worrying about the speck in someone else’s eye when you have a beam or plank in yours.
I have also noticed that it causes a great deal of stress and anguish on everyone involved when we go to meddling instead of helping!

Application

I will worry about the beam in my eye today rather than everyone else’s specks.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me just the way I am. And thank You for working on me everyday so I don’t stay the way I am. Help me not to be critical today as people make decisions and choices. Show me how I can help them without meddling. Help people see Jesus in me today. You are Mighty. There is nothing too hard for You.

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Filling in The Gaps

1 Chronicles 22; 1 Chronicles 23; 1 Chronicles 24; 1 Thessalonians 3
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Scripture

1 Thessalonians 3

9 How we thank God for you! Because of you we have great joy as we enter God’s presence. 10 Night and day we pray earnestly for you, asking God to let us see you again to fill the gaps in your faith.

Observation

Helping people grow or as Paul states in this passage, “filling in the gaps of their faith.” We are all growing and we all need some help filling in the gaps of our faith. We need to encourage one another. We need to push each other so that we can be all that Christ wants us to be. We need to help each other grow.

One way to do that is to pray for one another. Paul said that he prayed from them day and night or we could say he prayed for them 24/7. He prayed for them all the time.

Who needs to be encouraged? Who needs your prayer? Who needs for me to pray for them?

Application

I will help someone today by praying for them and encouraging them.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, put on my heart the person or persons that need my help. Show me who needs to be encouraged today. Bring them to my mind so that I can pray for them. Help me be like Paul today as I go about my day.

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Do You Have This To Look Forward to When We Get to Heaven?

2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21; Psalm 30; 1 Thessalonians 2
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Scripture

1 Thessalonians 2

19 For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? 20 Indeed, you are our glory and joy.

Observation

Paul was confident that when Jesus returned Paul would be full of joy because of those that he had led to the Lord. They would be his crown! So what kind of crown would we have if the Lord says tonight is our last night on planet earth. What kind of crown would you have waiting for you?

Paul had those that he had personally led to the Lord. Do you have anyone that knows Jesus because of you and your ministry to them? Will there be lots of folks going to Heaven because of your witness and mine?

Application

I will be intentional about making disciples. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, bring to my mind every person that I need to encourage and that I need to contact. Show me which one needs a little extra time. Help me take time with people so they are moved closer to You. Thank You for Your Word. It helps me stay on the right track! Give me the words to say this Sunday. Show me what is most important. Help me to make good choices!

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Who Are You Praying For?

2 Samuel 21; 2 Samuel 22; 2 Samuel 23; 1 Thessalonians 1
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Scripture

1 Thessalonians 1

2We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers.

Observation

We should be thanking God for the people in our lives and lifting them up in prayer. Who will you pray for today? Are you thankful for the people that God has placed in your life? Let Him know it today!

Application

I will pray for people today and I will thank God for bringing them into my life.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, there are so many people that I can be thankful for. You have been so good to me. I pray that You bring them to my mind today so that I can give You thanks for them. Help me not to be discouraged with those that are not walking with You yet. Help me to continue to pray for them. "The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior” 2 Samuel 22

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Need To Get Away?

2 Samuel 19; 2 Samuel 20; Psalm 55; Matthew 28
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Scripture

Psalm 55

22 Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.

Observation

Have you ever felt like David did when he wrote this Psalm and said, “Oh, that I had the wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest- I would flee far away and stay in the desert; Selah I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm."

David wanted to get away from all the treachery, and all of the evil that surrounded him, but he couldn’t. Instead he called on the Lord and he let all of his concerns and all of his fears roll off onto the Lord. We want to escape from what we are going through but we can’t either. We must learn to let it roll off onto the Lord and let Him sustain us.

Do you need a break today? Do you need to get away? I would suggest that you get by yourself and pray. I suggest that we cast all of our cares on the LORD, and let Him sustain us. Deal?

Application

I will cast all my cares on Him because He cares for me and I know that He will sustain me.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me take every one of my concerns, every one of my fears to You. I pray for those in our small group that they would do the same thing and that they would not let circumstances dictate their lives. I pray that You give them strength and show them that they can trust in You and show them that they do not need to be afraid.

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In God I Trust…

2 Samuel 18; Psalm 56; Matthew 27
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Scripture

Psalm 56

4 In God, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can mortal man do to me?
10 In God, whose word I praise,
in the LORD, whose word I praise-
11 in God I trust; I will not be afraid.
What can man do to me?

Observation

David trusted in God while he was being hunted down by Saul and then by his own son Absalom. Most of his life he was on the run from his enemies and he learned to trust in God through his trials and troubles. We usually don’t think of David as someone that was afraid or someone that ran from his enemies, but at certain times in his life he did just that. He killed thousands and won many battles but he also lived in hiding and he lived with the constant threat from enemies within his own family or his own army.

It was in that atmosphere where he learned to trust in God.

In our country we are going to have to learn all over again the phrase “in God I trust”. The government is working to take the phrase off of our money, but even more serious it is being stolen from our hearts. It was the good life that caused American to forget about God, but maybe now in this life of trouble and trials that we are entering into maybe now we will turn back to God.

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chron. 7:14

Application

I will trust the Lord today with every detail of my life.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I trust in You. I will not be afraid. In Your word I will give You praise! What can man do to me?

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When I am Old Let Me Declare Your Power To The Next Generation

2 Samuel 17; Psalm 71; Matthew 26
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Scripture

Psalm 71

18 Even when I am old and gray,
do not forsake me, O God,
till I declare your power to the next generation,
your might to all who are to come.

Observation

The next generation should always be our concern because if the Gospel misses a generation then those in that generation are lost. My grandchildren and their children need the Gospel. I pray that I will be able to declare God’s power to the next generation. How about you?

Application

I will pray this verse asking God to allow me to declare His power to the next generation.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.


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You Are My Hiding Place

2 Samuel 15; 2 Samuel 16; Psalm 32; Matthew 25
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Scripture

Psalm 32

7 You are my hiding place;
you will protect me from trouble
and surround me with songs of deliverance.

Observation

God is my hiding place. He will protect me from trouble.

Application

I will trust the Lord to keep me safe from trouble.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, You are my hiding place. You will protect me from trouble.

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How Important is The Word of God?

2 Samuel 13; 2 Samuel 14; Matthew 24
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Scripture

Matthew 24

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Observation

How important is it to know the Word of God? How important is the Word of God? Is it important to you and me?

The Word of God is the only thing that will never pass away. Your money and your riches can be gone in a twenty-minute fall of the stock market like what happened yesterday. It can all be gone in an instant. Your health can be gone in one quick minute with a heart attack or with the detection of cancer or in an instant in a bad car accident. Life is fragile and will not last, but the Word of God will last forever. Guard the Word of God in your heart. Dig into God’s Word. Devour God’s word. Feast on God’s Word.

Application

I will meditate on God’s Word today.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, Your Word is living and powerful. It will sustain us when nothing else can. Help me enjoy Your Word today. I pray that You would bring verses to my mind that will help me live this day for You. Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for letting me see how valuable Your Word is to my life. You are worthy to be praised.

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Blind Guides

2 Samuel 11; 2 Samuel 12; Psalm 51; Matthew 23
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Scripture

Matthew 23

24You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Observation

Blind guides…have you ever thought about how worthless a blind guide would be if you needed to be led or directed somewhere.

Jesus did not spare any words when he spoke to the Pharisees and he described them as being totally worthless as leaders. You and I run the same danger today if we don’t stay close to the Lord.

We can easily become like the Pharisees. The Pharisees acted like they were righteous, but they were totally unrighteous for the most part. As a pastor I can act one way in front of people but if I am living a life that contradicts what I preach then I am worse than the worst of sinners.

Fakes hurt the kingdom of God more than anything else and if we are not careful we can become just like the Pharisees. Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. Don’t be like a Pharisee. Be genuine. Be real.

Be careful when condemning sinners or you may involve yourself in the very sin that you are condemning them of committing. I see that happen everyday within our nation’s Christian leadership.

Application

I will guard my heart today and seek to stay away from sin. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, don’t let me be like the Pharisees. I pray that I would stay close to You today. Walk with me through this day so that I can bring You glory and honor. Help me please You with my thoughts and my actions. Put on my heart the people that I need to encourage or help today.

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Heart of God’s Word = Love Him & Love Others

2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 19; 1 Chronicles 20; Psalm 20; Matthew 22
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Scripture

Matthew 22

37Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'

Observation

These two commandments sum up the teaching of all God’s commandments and if we keep these two we shouldn’t have a problem keeping the rest of God’s word. This is our purpose. This is why we exist. We exist to love God and love others.
We tend to be self-centered and everyday we must surrender our lives to the Lord and allow His Holy Spirit to fill us. We can’t love others like we should if we aren’t totally surrendered to the Lord. It is a daily dying to our selves. Have you surrendered today? Why not do surrender right now?

Application

I am surrendering right now. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I surrender right now. I want You to take complete control of my life. Show me any sin in my life that I need to confess. I want You to be Lord of my life. I want to love You and others with all of my heart, soul, and mind. Help me to stay focused on You all day today. Show me Your mighty power. Lead me today in all that I do. I pray for Your direction. Guide me and help me make this day profitable for Your kingdom.

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Be Smart and Build Upon The Rock!

2 Samuel 8; 2 Samuel 9; 1 Chronicles 18; 1 Chronicles 19; Matthew 21
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Scripture

Matthew 21

42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:

" 'The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes'

Observation

Jesus said in Matthew 7 that wise people build their houses upon the rock and only fools build their houses on the sand. Smart people build their lives on Christ. He is the solid Rock. He is the only foundation to build our lives on.

People that reject Christ will one day be crushed by Him. Those that obey His teachings are smart and they are like the people that build their houses on a firm foundation. When the storms of life come these people that build their houses on Christ the Rock will be able to endure the floods and all of life’s problems.

Application

I will continue to build my life on the solid Rock of Christ. He is the Chief Cornerstone.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, it is my plan to keep building my life on Your word and it is my desire to keep obeying Your commands. I know that it is the only way to thrive in this evil and corrupt world. I pray that You would direct my thoughts. Give me Your desires. Help me to stay away from sin.

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It is All About Serving

2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 17; Psalm 2; Matthew 20
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Scripture

Matthew 20

28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Observation

If you are a Christian then your life if you want to be successful must be connected to serving others. Most of the people around us are only worried about themselves they are not worried about being a blessing to others, but we have been called to be servants. It is our highest calling. Nothing messes me up worse than when I begin to only think about myself. When my focus in on totally on myself then look out because I am a pretty miserable person to be around.

We are to give our lives away. We are to be spent for the sake of the Gospel. It is only when we give ourselves away that we find purpose and meaning in life and joy!

Application

How can I spend today … by serving others?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, show me who needs my attention. Show me who needs my concern and prayer today. I pray that You help me to have a servant’s heart. Help me not to be so selfish with my time and with my resources. Give me Your heart today for the people around me.

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Praise The Lord … Why? … For He is Good!

1 Chronicles 16; Psalm 106; Matthew 19
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Scripture

Psalm 106

1 Praise the LORD.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his love endures forever.

Observation

Give praise and give thanks to the Lord … why? … Because His love endures forever!
Do you need a good dose of God’s love this morning? If you do then I suggest that you give Him praise and thank Him for His goodness whether you feel like praising Him or not. Lets don’t go by our feelings today. I suggest that we praise Him whether we feel like it or not.

God is worthy of our praise!

Application

I will give Him praise today. I will thank Him for His goodness. His love for me endures forever.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I give You praise this morning. I thank You for loving me with a love that will last forever. It is not going to run out. Forever is a long time. Thank You for loving me just the way I am. Help me to grow so that I can be just what You created me to become. Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!" Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! Then the trees of the forest will sing, they will sing for joy before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. I Chronicles 16:31-34

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Importance of “One”

1 Chronicles 14; 1 Chronicles 15; Psalm 132; Matthew 18
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Scripture

Matthew 18

12"What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.

Observation

Drifting is something that comes easy it seems for sheep and for church members.
Normally I don’t think a person decides to quit and drop out church just like that, no I think it is a gradual thing of missing a Sunday here and there and then maybe missing two, then three in a row, and then they are hardly coming at all.

God rejoices whenever one of his “spiritual sheep” returns and begins serving again. Right now we have too many that are drifting and too many that need to return and get plugged in again.

Application

I am going after the drifters. Do you know any that you could call?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, help our people shepherd those under their care. I pray that those that are drifting will return to You and will get back into the body of Christ. Thank You that You have empowered us to live for You. We don’t have to live lives that don’t count and lives that are powerless.

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