**adapted from a sermon by Chad Whitmore (minister of Franklin Avenue Christian Church, Des Moines, Iowa).
Motivating scripture: Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength,"
Introduction
As Christians our actions in our relationship with God are often done out of "habituation." This means that we get caught up in the motions of things and want them to be the same as they have always been. We want to go to the same kind of church service, we listen to the same type of sermons, we pray the same prayer at the same time every day and not many other times, just to name a few. We usually have no problem with accepting that God is all powerful but do we think enough about how God feels about us? For me, this was one of those slight changes in thinking that was really profound to me because I realized I didn't often think of how God truly feels about me and what gifts I have from him that make me special.
This week I would like you to think about the POWER of God.
Our God is omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent. Omniscient means "all-knowing" and I think that this is the most common description of God's power. Omnipresent means "ever-present" in all ways. Omnipotent means "all-powerful" or that He can do ANYTHING. He spoke the earth into existence, healed many illnesses including those that still have no cure, made a virgin pregnant, and raised the dead. There are countless current stories about the miracles that are still happening through prayer and Christian intervention.
This power is the driving force behind the first two of hope and worth. Because God is so powerful we can stand firm in our faith and continue to better ourselves through Christ.
Two thousand years ago Paul wrote to the Christians in Ephesus and gave great emphasis to this point. They, just like us today, had forgotten about this great power and that it was in God that we can take refuge.
This is the point that I think falls the most under the "habituation" category for us. We blindly accept that God is "all-powerful" and we go on about our business. The Bible tells us that we are to focus on this fact and that it should be one of the bases for our faith.
I pray that you all can find comfort in the fact that there is no problem too big for God to take care of. I have seen it in my life and I know that if you pray and watch you will see it too!!!
Have a great week!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
You Can't See With Your Eyes Shut - Part Two
**adapted from a sermon by Chad Whitmore (minister of Franklin Avenue Christian Church, Des Moines, Iowa).
Motivating scripture: Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the workin gof his mighty strength,"
Introduction
As Christians our actions in our relationship with God are often done out of "habituation." This means that we get caught up in the motions of things and want them to be the same as they have always been. We want to go to the same kind of church service, we listen to the same type of sermons, we pray the same prayer at the same time every day and not many other times, just to name a few. We usually have no problem with accepting that God is all powerful but do we think enough about how God feels about us? For me, this was one of those slight changes in thinking that was really profound to me because I realized I didn't often think of how God truly feels about me and what gifts I have from him that make me special.
This week I want you to think about the WORTH that we have to our God.
I believe that so much of our lives are spent thinking about what God is to us that we don't take the time to think about the relationship the other direction. What are we to God? You are WORTH something to God. Not just something but you are something precious to God. That is hard to swallow for me but that is something that we need to focus on for us to really understand our realationship with God. We, Christians, are God's inheritance. He wants us to come to Him. He formed us to have a special relationship with Him. He wants ALL who can to know Him. He will not send Jesus to us until there is not one more heart to be turned.
Luke 12:6-7 tell us that He remembers each of our sorrows and he cares so much about us that he counts the hairs on our heads. This caring that God does for us goes beyond how I feel for my children and how my parents felt for me. Again, this doesn't sit easy with me. How can anyone love me more than my parents or more than I love my children? It seems impossible. But that's where God trumps everything. He makes the impossible possible. He loves you more than you can imagine.
Matthew 13:45-46 also illustrates how God feels for us. In that scripture we see that God gave up everything for us. He sent us Jesus his only son to do what no other man has been able to do or will ever be able to do again, be the perfect sacrifice for all who believe. Jesus was sinless and blameless and was slaughtered for the sake of all mankind. That really hits me at a part in my heart that is hard for me to look at because I always struggle with the thought of giving up a child. The thought of losing one of my own is enough to almost give me physical pain. My heart goes out to those who have lost a child and I pray I never have to experience that. But could one give up their child even as a sacrifice to save another? God did that for me and all others. That is so huge my mind has trouble grasping it.
This subject never ceases to amaze me. While I do believe that I am worth something priceless to God it seems that it is not often a part of my thoughts. I don't really see a reason why we shouldn't think on it every day. What a great reminder of what we are doing here!
My prayer this week is that you rely on the fact that you are worth something great to God to give you peace and feelings of self worth.
If you don't know the Lord all you have to do is pray and ask Him into your life. That is what He is waiting and longing for.
Have a wonderful week!!
Motivating scripture: Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the workin gof his mighty strength,"
Introduction
As Christians our actions in our relationship with God are often done out of "habituation." This means that we get caught up in the motions of things and want them to be the same as they have always been. We want to go to the same kind of church service, we listen to the same type of sermons, we pray the same prayer at the same time every day and not many other times, just to name a few. We usually have no problem with accepting that God is all powerful but do we think enough about how God feels about us? For me, this was one of those slight changes in thinking that was really profound to me because I realized I didn't often think of how God truly feels about me and what gifts I have from him that make me special.
This week I want you to think about the WORTH that we have to our God.
I believe that so much of our lives are spent thinking about what God is to us that we don't take the time to think about the relationship the other direction. What are we to God? You are WORTH something to God. Not just something but you are something precious to God. That is hard to swallow for me but that is something that we need to focus on for us to really understand our realationship with God. We, Christians, are God's inheritance. He wants us to come to Him. He formed us to have a special relationship with Him. He wants ALL who can to know Him. He will not send Jesus to us until there is not one more heart to be turned.
Luke 12:6-7 tell us that He remembers each of our sorrows and he cares so much about us that he counts the hairs on our heads. This caring that God does for us goes beyond how I feel for my children and how my parents felt for me. Again, this doesn't sit easy with me. How can anyone love me more than my parents or more than I love my children? It seems impossible. But that's where God trumps everything. He makes the impossible possible. He loves you more than you can imagine.
Matthew 13:45-46 also illustrates how God feels for us. In that scripture we see that God gave up everything for us. He sent us Jesus his only son to do what no other man has been able to do or will ever be able to do again, be the perfect sacrifice for all who believe. Jesus was sinless and blameless and was slaughtered for the sake of all mankind. That really hits me at a part in my heart that is hard for me to look at because I always struggle with the thought of giving up a child. The thought of losing one of my own is enough to almost give me physical pain. My heart goes out to those who have lost a child and I pray I never have to experience that. But could one give up their child even as a sacrifice to save another? God did that for me and all others. That is so huge my mind has trouble grasping it.
This subject never ceases to amaze me. While I do believe that I am worth something priceless to God it seems that it is not often a part of my thoughts. I don't really see a reason why we shouldn't think on it every day. What a great reminder of what we are doing here!
My prayer this week is that you rely on the fact that you are worth something great to God to give you peace and feelings of self worth.
If you don't know the Lord all you have to do is pray and ask Him into your life. That is what He is waiting and longing for.
Have a wonderful week!!
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
You Can't See With Your Eyes Shut - Part One
**adapted from a sermon by Chad Whitmore (minister of Franklin Avenue Christian Church, Des Moines, Iowa).
Motivating scripture: Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the workin gof his mighty strength,"
Introduction
As Christians our actions in our relationship with God are often done out of "habituation." This means that we get caught up in the motions of things and want them to be the same as they have always been. We want to go to the same kind of church service, we listen to the same type of sermons, we pray the same prayer at the same time every day and not many other times, just to name a few. We usually have no problem with accepting that God is all powerful but do we think enough about how God feels about us? For me, this was one of those slight changes in thinking that was really profound to me because I realized I didn't often think of how God truly feels about me and what gifts I have from him that make me special.
Today I want you to think about the HOPE that we get from God.
This HOPE is that we, as Christians, have the promise of a life beyond this life which means that this is not all there is. A major part of our Christian beliefs is that heaven awaits those who truly believe that Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for your sins. We should then live our lives with that on our heart. We have a hard time believing that we are important enough for an innocent man to die for our sins but that is exactly the wrong way to think. If we were important enough to God why can we not be important to ourselves? We need to take ownership of this hope as if it is our home or our car with our name on the title.
Titus 3:4-7 says that through Jesus we have the hope of eternal life.
1 Timothy 4:10 tells us that the we should labor and strive for full acceptance of the message and for hope. The word labor is included because it is hard work to make this a cornerstone in our lives.
Titus 1:1-2 tells us that this hope has been around since the beginning of time. God planned for this to be an asset to us.
1 Peter 1:3-4 reminds us that we are given a living hope through Jesus Christ. One that gets stronger and never dies.
Put up sticky notes on your mirror, front door, or office computer if you have to but please lets try to make a conscious effort to think of this wonderful gift of hope that was given to us by God through belief in his one and only son who He sacrificed to save us.
Go with God and remember how important you are to HIM!!!
Motivating scripture: Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV
"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the workin gof his mighty strength,"
Introduction
As Christians our actions in our relationship with God are often done out of "habituation." This means that we get caught up in the motions of things and want them to be the same as they have always been. We want to go to the same kind of church service, we listen to the same type of sermons, we pray the same prayer at the same time every day and not many other times, just to name a few. We usually have no problem with accepting that God is all powerful but do we think enough about how God feels about us? For me, this was one of those slight changes in thinking that was really profound to me because I realized I didn't often think of how God truly feels about me and what gifts I have from him that make me special.
Today I want you to think about the HOPE that we get from God.
This HOPE is that we, as Christians, have the promise of a life beyond this life which means that this is not all there is. A major part of our Christian beliefs is that heaven awaits those who truly believe that Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for your sins. We should then live our lives with that on our heart. We have a hard time believing that we are important enough for an innocent man to die for our sins but that is exactly the wrong way to think. If we were important enough to God why can we not be important to ourselves? We need to take ownership of this hope as if it is our home or our car with our name on the title.
Titus 3:4-7 says that through Jesus we have the hope of eternal life.
1 Timothy 4:10 tells us that the we should labor and strive for full acceptance of the message and for hope. The word labor is included because it is hard work to make this a cornerstone in our lives.
Titus 1:1-2 tells us that this hope has been around since the beginning of time. God planned for this to be an asset to us.
1 Peter 1:3-4 reminds us that we are given a living hope through Jesus Christ. One that gets stronger and never dies.
Put up sticky notes on your mirror, front door, or office computer if you have to but please lets try to make a conscious effort to think of this wonderful gift of hope that was given to us by God through belief in his one and only son who He sacrificed to save us.
Go with God and remember how important you are to HIM!!!
Back to Start the New Year!!!
I have had a crazy last couple months and when things are so crazy it effects how I think, act and write. I have needed a little time off from everything to just repair my soul. God is great and has brought my family through another amazing year!!
I have been preparring a series of three posts that I will be composing entitled "You Can't See With Your Eyes Shut!!" This is a sermon that I heard from my minister, Chad Whitmore, at Franklin Avenue Christian Church in Des Moines, Iowa that really spoke to me. He had adapted his sermon from a speaker at the 2007 Iowa Christian Convention, to give credit where credit is due.
I will be posting the first of this series today.
I thank you for spending time reading my thoughts on God.
I have been preparring a series of three posts that I will be composing entitled "You Can't See With Your Eyes Shut!!" This is a sermon that I heard from my minister, Chad Whitmore, at Franklin Avenue Christian Church in Des Moines, Iowa that really spoke to me. He had adapted his sermon from a speaker at the 2007 Iowa Christian Convention, to give credit where credit is due.
I will be posting the first of this series today.
I thank you for spending time reading my thoughts on God.
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