Wednesday, August 08, 2007

SIMPLE

More than every, people are searching today for the “meaning of life,” the reason for their existence and what happens after we die. The answer is simple.

Many who were not brought up going to church have heard this verse…


“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NASB)

It is very powerful and contains key truths for all of us…

1. God

…The Creator and Sustainer of the entire universe and beyond

2. God loved the world

…not just the “pretty people” or the popular, He loved and loves everyone

3. God gave

…not just a bracelet or a book, but His only Son, Jesus Christ

He did this so that His Creation, you and me, might once again have communion with Him. Jesus paid the price for our sin by dying a horrible death on the cross.

Whoever believes…

You and I or anyone else on this planet…will live forever with God if we only believe in what God has done for us through His Son Jesus.

The Gospel is simple. Share it with someone today.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

BEWARE

Have you ever been involved in something that you thought was really great? You knew that this was something you were supposed to do and it would benefit many people. Oddly enough, there seemed to be people against what you were doing.

I suppose there are various reasons that people would not want to see something good happen…

  • They didn’t think of it
  • They don’t trust the person doing the good thing
  • They’re doing something they feel is important and don’t want the spotlight on their project to diminish

Regardless of that, we must keep doing what we believe is right, what we believe God wants us to do. Look at this situation recorded in Ezra when the people were rebuilding the Temple


Ezra 4:1 - 5 (NLT)
1The enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were rebuilding a Temple to the LORD, the God of Israel. 2So they approached Zerubbabel and the other leaders and said, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God just as you do. We have sacrificed to him ever since King Esarhaddon of Assyria brought us here.” 3But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel replied, “You may have no part in this work. We alone will build the Temple for the LORD, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.” 4Then the local residents tried to discourage and frighten the people of Judah to keep them from their work. 5They bribed agents to work against them and to frustrate their plans. This went on during the entire reign of King Cyrus of Persia and lasted until King Darius of Persia took the throne.

1. ‘Enemies’ will try to worm their way inside.


I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. Acts 20:29 - 30 (NLT)

2. Those same ‘enemies’, when not allowed to be part of the good work will try to destroy it.


Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. Matthew 26:59 (NASB)

So what do we do? We keep going, trusting God for the outcome.


Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Joshua 1:7 (NLT)

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Monday, August 06, 2007

ADAPT

People disagree on many things; music styles, architectural design and clothing are just a few. Those of us that are older can lament in the “way things used to be” or we can rejoice and adapt to the way things are now.

By that, I do not mean that we are to rejoice and adapt in the face of apathy in the church or turn a blind eye to hypocrisy or sin. However, when new ways of doing things are introduced by a younger generation and they are in line with God’s Word, we should rejoice because they care enough about God to be involved in the first place.


They sang, praising and giving thanks to the LORD, saying, “For He is good, for His lovingkindness is upon Israel forever.” And all the people shouted with a great shout when they praised the LORD because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 12Yet many of the priests and Levites and heads of fathers’ households, the old men who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice when the foundation of this house was laid before their eyes, while many shouted aloud for joy, 13so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the shout of joy from the sound of the weeping of the people, for the people shouted with a loud shout, and the sound was heard far away. Ezra 3:11 - 13 (NASB)

My prayer is that the weeping and lament of the older generation would be drown out or changed into rejoicing on account of the praising of the Lord by the younger generations that have chosen Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Let us work together toward honoring the Head of the Church, Jesus Christ, in all that we endeavor. Let us be unified in the Spirit of Christ and do away with our self-concerns.

Let us be like the father that Jesus spoke about in Luke 15 upon the return of his son, and not like the brother who was jealous…


6When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away! Luke 15:6 - 7 (NLT)

Let us go forward together, in obedience, showing love to all and being Christ to all.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Sunday, August 05, 2007

SONG...

PRAISE
God for all the work done at the SPRING yesterday. Adam and Chris hung the bathroom doors and raised and reversed our last exit door! A big "thank you" to Courtney, Sharon and Bea as well.

PRAY
We are looking at opening the SPRING Student Center on Thursday, August 30. That way people are settled into their new routines at school. HOWEVER...we need your prayers for two VERY IMPORTANT items:
1. We still have no air conditioning installed at the SPRING and it is very warm.
2. Our electrical work is still not completed.
We DO KNOW that God is faithful and able to provide all that we need...

WORD...SONG
When something really great happens in your life, I’ll bet you can’t wait to tell somebody. That’s the way we are; we want to share our “good news” with everyone.
Perhaps one of the major differences in being a follower of Christ and someone who is not, is to whom we give credit for the good things that come into our lives. If we are saying, “I did this” or “I did that,” we are drawing attention to ourselves. On the other hand, if we say, “Look at what God has done” we are drawing attention to Him. After all, God is the giver of all good things…

Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. James 1:17a (NLT)
When God did something great in the lives of the people in the Bible, they wrote a new “song” so that God’s deed would be remembered. Look at the Song of Moses in Exodus 32, the Song of Deborah in Judges 5, Mary’s Song in Luke 1:46 or the Songs (Psalms) of David. They each recount how God has done something wonderful in the lives of His people.
He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the LORD. Psalms 40:3 (NLT)
So, when something good comes into your life, make sure you’re giving credit where it belongs and sing your “new song” to the Lord. Let everybody know how great He really is so that they will want Him to be their Lord as well.
SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Saturday, August 04, 2007

WEAK

When we hear the word “weak” in our society, it does not conjure up a very good picture. Whether it is a person that is weak or the branch of a tree, we generally think of the subject referred to as being inferior.

It is not so with God. He created us for His purposes. When we acknowledge God as our Creator as well as realizing that we cannot accomplish His purposes on our own, we are often seen as being weak. God sees it as admitting that we need Him!


Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT)

As I get ready to leave the house this morning to go and continue the work on the SPRING Student Center, I feel very weak; my back hurts, my elbow hurts and I’m tired. However, since I know that this project is exactly where God wants me to be and I know it is HIS project. I can go knowing that He will accomplish all that needs to be done.


For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

I must look to Christ for my strength. Jesus said,

For apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5b (NLT)

He will keep me going and provide help to complete His task.


By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 2 Peter 1:3 - 4 (NLT)

Does this work in all situations? The answer to that is found in the above passage; we have everything we need for living a godly life. The minute I forget that and start living for myself, I’m going to fall. The last part of this passage from Second Peter shows that our goal is escaping the world’s corruption caused by our own human desires. When we succumb to our desires, we separate ourselves from His power.

So the next time you feel weak, whether physically, in public speaking or some other task that God has called you to do, realize that the Lord is more than able to keep you from failing and to cause His purposes to be fulfilled in your life.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Friday, August 03, 2007

PURPOSE

Who determines what you will do today? Is it your boss? Is it one or both of your parents? Or, is it God?

When we operate on a daily basis simply meeting needs as they arise, we can often forget our overall purpose in life. Now maybe you have forgotten what that purpose is and it has been condensed into “just getting by.”

I want to suggest that perhaps you reassess what that purpose is…look at the overall picture of your life. What do you want folks to remember about you? Then look at your daily routine and see how that fits in to the plan.

Jesus stated His purpose like this,

I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will. John 5:30b

Now that seems like a great purpose. What is God’s will for you? Jesus said, If you love me obey my commandments (John 14:15). His commandments to us were to love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-40). Wouldn’t it be fantastic if people remembered you for your love of God and loving others?

Determine today to do the will of God regardless of what comes into your path.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Thursday, August 02, 2007

MOCKED

There are those who say, “God can’t help you. He doesn’t really exist outside your mind.” Of course, there are many variations of this kind of thinking but we can try to help those people out by telling them stories of how God HAS worked in our life.

Those of us that are call ourselves followers of Christ need to give God glory in ALL things.

Listen to this story from the Old Testament. The king of Assyria was trying to get King Hezekiah of Jerusalem to give up without even a fight…


17The king also sent letters scorning the LORD, the God of Israel. He wrote, “Just as the gods of all the other nations failed to rescue their people from my power, so the God of Hezekiah will also fail.” 2 Chronicles 32:17 (NLT)

King Sennacherib doubted, not only that the God of Israel couldn’t help Hezekiah and his people but also that if He tried He would fail.


Then King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz cried out in prayer to God in heaven. 21And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed the Assyrian army with all its commanders and officers. So Sennacherib was forced to return home in disgrace to his own land. And when he entered the temple of his god, some of his own sons killed him there with a sword. 2 Chronicles 32:20 - 21 (NLT)

Prayer is our most powerful weapon. It tells God that we know we can’t do something and we need Him to do it. God will not allow His name to be mocked for long. There will be consequences to those who are ridiculing Him.

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Galatians 6:7 (NASB)

Sennacherib not only lost the war, but also lost his life because he mocked God.

From then on King Hezekiah became highly respected among all the surrounding nations, and many gifts for the LORD arrived at Jerusalem, with valuable presents for King Hezekiah, too. 2 Chronicles 32:23 (NLT)

Because the story was told throughout the land…even the “surrounding nations” who didn’t believe in the God of Israel sent gifts to Him.

Tell your story of how God has worked in your life that all may honor him.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Wednesday, August 01, 2007

MISSIONARY

The word “missionary” is generally thought of as someone who goes to a foreign country and tells people about God. They have gone there in response to Jesus’ words that we know as “The Great Commission.” It is most often quoted from Matthew 28:19-20, but is found in some form or another in all the Gospels. Here is Mark’s version:

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Mark 16:15 (NLT)

My question to you is, “Where is the ‘world’” of which Mark speaks? Is it possible that it is right where you live? Could God have placed you in the city where you are right now to be a missionary for Him?

The town of 3500 people in which I live has almost 30 churches. Yet, there are only a handful of teens in all of them. There are 500 students in the high school alone. That, to me, is a “mission field.” That is why we are building the SPRING Student Center. Those that work there with me are missionaries.

Think about that in relation to where God has placed you.


Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” John 20:21 (NLT)

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

ACCEPT

I have a confession to make. I used to look down on other people that called themselves believers and didn’t believe the way I did. I wouldn’t even consider them believers! The problem is that is totally contrary to God’s teaching.


Accept other believers who are weak in faith, and don’t argue with them about what they think is right or wrong. Romans 14:1 (NLT)

Thankfully, I dealt with that issue. The danger though is people that call themselves “believers” and then have beliefs that totally contradict God’s Word. This is not what this passage is talking about.

For example, if a believer in Christ chooses to have a glass of wine, who are we to say he is “bad, back-slidden, etc.” and try to argue with them about it? On the other hand, if a professing believer in Christ engages in “sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these,” (Galatians 5:19-21) there is certainly room for discussion!

Having been a youth pastor for many years now, I have learned to “pick my battles.” Dressing in all black doesn’t seem to be up there with sexual immorality. Loud music in a style that isn’t my favorite didn’t make the list of “thou shalt nots.”


Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. 5There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all. Ephesians 4:2 - 6 (NLT)

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Monday, July 30, 2007

PRIORITIZE

We are generally an impatient people. We want to have it now. We want power, recognition and a list of other things that all come from fleshly desires.

This particular verse jumped out at me today. It reminded me of Solomon’s request to God for wisdom in governing His people. Remember, God gave Solomon riches and power as well because his heart was lined up with God’s desires first.

Here’s the verse I was talking about…

King Jotham became powerful because he was careful to live in obedience to the LORD his God. 2 Chronicles 27:6 (NLT)

What is it that you want in your life today? Whatever it is, make sure that you are careful to FIRST live in obedience to the LORD your God. Like my life verse (Matthew 6:33) says,

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Sunday, July 29, 2007

UNFATHOMABLE

If we can’t see, taste it, touch it, hear it or smell it, we have a hard time understanding what something is. We are a people that like to have things quantifiable. We respect scientists because they can “prove” things.

Yet, these same principles do not work when it comes to God, the Creator of all that exists including you and me. We must take His Word for things. A former student of mine put it well when he said, “Since creation is past, we cannot prove or disprove anything using the scientific method.” We must simply trust God, or have faith in Him. We must come to the point where we can admit we don’t and can’t know everything that God knows. He is far above us. The upside of that is that He also loves us.

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again? 36For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33 - 36 (NASB)

Rest today, in the incredible love of the Almighty God…

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Saturday, July 28, 2007

CLEARLY

I am blessed to live in an area where God can clearly be seen. The mountains that surround me on three sides speak of His mighty power. The vast open spaces speak of His eternal nature. He shows His love by providing water from beneath the surface of the earth. God is unmistakably here.

Why then do so many refuse to recognize His presence? How can anyone deny His existence? How can so many that claim to be His followers act as though He were not here? Listen to what Paul has to say to the church at Rome

18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:18 - 20 (NASB)

We are clearly without excuse and in danger of incurring the wrath of the mighty God who caused a flood to come upon the earth, the same powerful God who destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone.

Let us instead declare the greatness of God as the songwriter so aptly put it…


O Lord my God when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds
Thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder; Thy pow'r thru'out the universe displayed.


Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee. How great Thou art.
How great Thou art. Then sings my soul my Savior God to Thee,
How great Thou art. How great Thou art

When thru the woods and forest glades I wander, and hear the birds
sing sweetly in the trees. When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
and hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.

And when I think that God His Son not sparing, sent Him to die I scarce can take it in. That on the cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin.

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home
what joy shall fill my heart. Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim, My God how great Thou art.

© 1941, 1953, 1955 Stuart K. Hine, Renewed 1981 Manna Music, Inc. ARR UBP of Manna Music, Inc. (35255 Brooten Road, Pacific City, OR 97135) CCLI# 2330071

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Friday, July 27, 2007

BEFORE

Troubles come into everyone’s life at some point or another. So often, we try to fight our own battles rather than trusting in the Lord. Here’s a fantastic passage from God’s Word that shows a better way!

Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the LORD. 6He prayed, “O LORD, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! 2 Chronicles 20:5 - 6 (NLT)

Then Jahaziel, a prophet of the Lord spoke,

He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15 (NLT)

The response of the King on hearing God’s word was to

WORSHIP…

Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the LORD. 2 Chronicles 20:18 (NLT)

Trusting that God would do what His word had foretold they sang

PRAISES OF THANKSGIVING…

After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the LORD; his faithful love endures forever!” 2 Chronicles 20:21 (NLT)

The faith they had in God’s word was remarkable. God rewarded their faith

PROMISE was FULIFILLED

22At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the LORD caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. 24So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped. 2 Chronicles 20:22,24 (NLT)

Trust God with your battles. Listen to His word (the Bible). Worship Him and sing praises of thanksgiving BEFORE you see the results and He will reward your trust in Him.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Thursday, July 26, 2007

RESPONSIBILITY

I have seen discipline in the family change greatly during my lifetime (wow, that makes me sound old!). Spanking used to be part of the parenting “repertoire” but civil liberties or child abuse laws (?) have changed all that.

Is discipline in the church being changed from what God intended as well? Let’s see what Paul has to say in his first letter to the church at Corinth.

12It isn’t my responsibility to judge outsiders, but it certainly is your responsibility to judge those inside the church who are sinning. 13God will judge those on the outside; but as the Scriptures say, “You must remove the evil person from among you.” 1 Corinthians 5:12 - 13 (NLT)

The Old Testament reference (“Scriptures”) here is Deuteronomy 17:7. God is talking about someone who violates the covenant He has made with them and in verse 3 of chapter 17 and says, For instance, they might serve other gods or worship the sun, the moon, or any of the stars—the forces of heaven—which I have strictly forbidden.” He goes on to say, that they should be put to death by stoning! Now that ought to make us extremely grateful for God’s grace!

The last part of verse 7 (Deuteronomy 17) is what Paul has referred to in our main passage for today. It says, “In this way, you will purge the evil from among you.”

Obviously God took evil (sin) among His people seriously and that is the message Paul is trying to convey to the church at Corinth and the Church today. The problem is we tend to overlook things like that because we don’t “want” to offend a particular person. In the end though, we offend God.

11 My child, don’t reject the LORD’s discipline,

and don’t be upset when he corrects you.

12 For the LORD corrects those he loves,

just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.

Proverbs 3:11 - 12 (NLT)

“Wait,” you say, “that is speaking of the LORD’s discipline, not our church.” WHOSE CHURCH? The Church is the body of Christ and Jesus is the head of that body.

We have a responsibility to God to make sure that His body, what we call church, is “clean and pure.”

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

EYES

American Idol is a huge smash on television. Now there are other shows coming out where different people (bands, etc.) compete for things like recording contracts and more.

Contests or talent shows like that are nothing new. Ed Sullivan used to showcase different talents. The Miss America Pageant and others like it have been around for years.

If we place ourselves in the spotlight, there are always eyes trained upon us to compare us to others.

There is one set of eyes that I want to please. It has nothing to do with outward appearance or how well I sing, but with my inner most thoughts and desires…

The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9a (NLT)

My prayer for you today is that the Lord would strengthen you as He gazes upon a heart that is “sold out” to Him.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

HARMONY

I’ve been a music lover and musician for as long as I can remember. You and I may not have the same taste in music, but we can usually agree on what good harmony is.

When I was going to college, I had to listen to a lot of 20th Century music that was often devoid of traditional harmony. While I can say it took skill to write, put it all together and perform it, I can say with much more delight that I like sounds that “get along with each other” much better.

I think God feels that way about His children. He prefers us to act together in harmony. Hear these words of Paul:

10I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. 1 Corinthians 1:10 (NLT)

It reminds me of a tug-of-war contest. If all the people on one side are pulling together and the people on the other side pull when they feel like it, at different times from their other teammates, guess which team is going to win!

We are in a spiritual battle and the forces of darkness in this world seem to be pulling together as they vie for the lives of our young people and those who don’t know the Lord Jesus as their Savior.

Come on Church, unite, live and act in harmony for your ONLY purpose; living a life that is Christ-like, showing others the love of God and leading them to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord.

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Monday, July 23, 2007

FULFILL

There was some discussion a few days ago on “following the law.” I didn’t mean to imply that the law was bad, only that we were no longer “slaves” to it. The law in it’s entirety pointed out that we are sinful creatures and none of us can keep the law in it’s entirety. Apart from Jesus, we can’t do anything!

Jesus said,

“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:15 (NASB)

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment in the law was, He replied,

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37 - 40 (NASB)

For us to follow the myriads of laws, commandments and/or the tradition of the Rabbis we would have to be “brainiacs” to simply remember what they are. Jesus, when He came “fulfilled” the law and we, through Him, may accomplish the same.

Jesus did not set us to thinking about all those little “pieces” of what is considered law, but gave us a one-word prescription…love. Paul summarizes that thought in Romans 13:8-10 (NASB),

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 9For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

So, when we are tempted to do something out of selfishness or to prove we are right or for any other motive than love…we are not merely breaking the law but the heart of Jesus, the One who died a horrible death on the cross for our sin. Love Him and love each other with God’s kind of love. That will fix the problem!

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Sunday, July 22, 2007

EVERYTHING

This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalms 118:24 (NASB)

33 Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!

34 For who can know the LORD’s thoughts?

Who knows enough to give him advice?

35 And who has given him so much

that he needs to pay it back?

36 For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.

Romans 11:33 - 36 (NLT)

Dear brothers and sisters, I close my letter with these last words: Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11 (NLT)

SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD