While we cherish new revelations, we also need to value old wisdom. Some bible scholars regard the book of James as the New Testament equivalent of the book of Proverbs. In our text, James couples two words that are not generally thought of together: Joy and Trouble. In our humanity, we cannot associate a blessing with a reprimand. But in God’s economy, He uses this to accomplish a higher purpose. There is no growth without resistance. How can we look at the trial that we encounter as an opportunity? God does not challenge us to embarrass us or knock us down, but rather to move us to a place where He can bless us. There are things that trials will do in our lives. First, God wants to prove our faith. Prove, in this case, means to refine, like gold in the fire. Second, they will improve our patience. Trials are always directed toward a goal. There is something that God is trying to accomplish to get us to the desired outcome. Our testing is an opportunity for joy. There is an opportunity in our trial to grow. They are an opportunity for God to take us to a place that He wants us to go.

While we cherish new revelations, we also need to value old wisdom. Some bible scholars regard the book of James as the New Testament equivalent of the book of Proverbs. In our text, James couples two words that are not generally thought of together: Joy and Trouble. In our humanity, we cannot associate a blessing with a reprimand. But in God’s economy, He uses this to accomplish a higher purpose. There is no growth without resistance. How can we look at the trial that we encounter as an opportunity? God does not challenge us to embarrass us or knock us down, but rather to move us to a place where He can bless us. There are things that trials will do in our lives. First, God wants to prove our faith. Prove, in this case, means to refine, like gold in the fire. Second, they will improve our patience. Trials are always directed toward a goal. There is something that God is trying to accomplish to get us to the desired outcome. Our testing is an opportunity for joy. There is an opportunity in our trial to grow. They are an opportunity for God to take us to a place that He wants us to go.

While we cherish new revelations, we also need to value old wisdom. Some bible scholars regard the book of James as the New Testament equivalent of the book of Proverbs. In our text, James couples two words that are not generally thought of together: Joy and Trouble. In our humanity, we cannot associate a blessing with a reprimand. But in God’s economy, He uses this to accomplish a higher purpose. There is no growth without resistance. How can we look at the trial that we encounter as an opportunity? God does not challenge us to embarrass us or knock us down, but rather to move us to a place where He can bless us. There are things that trials will do in our lives. First, God wants to prove our faith. Prove, in this case, means to refine, like gold in the fire. Second, they will improve our patience. Trials are always directed toward a goal. There is something that God is trying to accomplish to get us to the desired outcome. Our testing is an opportunity for joy. There is an opportunity in our trial to grow. They are an opportunity for God to take us to a place that He wants us to go.

God has given this church a great promise. Bro. Hughes asks if we are ready to receive that which God has prepared. Our text is known as the parable of the prodigal son. The truth is, that it should be known as the parable of the loving father. The way that the father responded to his son’s return is the same way that we must respond to those lost and wayward souls that will return to our door. Even now, there are hearts that are turning back to what they had once loved. We are on the precipice of a revival of prodigals that we cannot even comprehend. These people that once occupied the pews of a church are realizing emptiness in their lives and they are stirring to find what they once had. They are going to come with issues and problems bigger than their sins. They will come like the prodigal son in our familiar story only wanting to be close to the house of God. They are not certain that they are welcome. Sin has broken their self-image to the point that they are not sure that God can love them. We must show them an experience like the father in our story gave to his wayward son. These prodigals know what they walked away from. They will be looking for what they left. We must make sure that we have not left the things that they are coming back to. In our text, Jesus paints a picture of what they should find when they get here. The bible says that the father saw the son when he was a great way off. This implies that the father was looking for. The father had hope and anticipation that his son would return. He had prepared for that moment. He told the servant to get the fatted calf. That implies that they had been holding and preparing that animal for the son’s eventual return. Are we prepared for the revival that God is sending us? Everything we do should be in preparation for what God is sending us. Are we really ready for who God is going to send? We have to welcome them all, even the ones that may have caused problems. We must be willing to set aside history and replace it with His Story. The truth is that many of us do not deserve to be here, but we are. Those that are coming need to be here just as desperately as we do.

God has given this church a great promise. Bro. Hughes asks if we are ready to receive that which God has prepared. Our text is known as the parable of the prodigal son. The truth is, that it should be known as the parable of the loving father. The way that the father responded to his son’s return is the same way that we must respond to those lost and wayward souls that will return to our door. Even now, there are hearts that are turning back to what they had once loved. We are on the precipice of a revival of prodigals that we cannot even comprehend. These people that once occupied the pews of a church are realizing emptiness in their lives and they are stirring to find what they once had. They are going to come with issues and problems bigger than their sins. They will come like the prodigal son in our familiar story only wanting to be close to the house of God. They are not certain that they are welcome. Sin has broken their self-image to the point that they are not sure that God can love them. We must show them an experience like the father in our story gave to his wayward son. These prodigals know what they walked away from. They will be looking for what they left. We must make sure that we have not left the things that they are coming back to. In our text, Jesus paints a picture of what they should find when they get here. The bible says that the father saw the son when he was a great way off. This implies that the father was looking for. The father had hope and anticipation that his son would return. He had prepared for that moment. He told the servant to get the fatted calf. That implies that they had been holding and preparing that animal for the son’s eventual return. Are we prepared for the revival that God is sending us? Everything we do should be in preparation for what God is sending us. Are we really ready for who God is going to send? We have to welcome them all, even the ones that may have caused problems. We must be willing to set aside history and replace it with His Story. The truth is that many of us do not deserve to be here, but we are. Those that are coming need to be here just as desperately as we do.

God has given this church a great promise. Bro. Hughes asks if we are ready to receive that which God has prepared. Our text is known as the parable of the prodigal son. The truth is, that it should be known as the parable of the loving father. The way that the father responded to his son’s return is the same way that we must respond to those lost and wayward souls that will return to our door. Even now, there are hearts that are turning back to what they had once loved. We are on the precipice of a revival of prodigals that we cannot even comprehend. These people that once occupied the pews of a church are realizing emptiness in their lives and they are stirring to find what they once had. They are going to come with issues and problems bigger than their sins. They will come like the prodigal son in our familiar story only wanting to be close to the house of God. They are not certain that they are welcome. Sin has broken their self-image to the point that they are not sure that God can love them. We must show them an experience like the father in our story gave to his wayward son. These prodigals know what they walked away from. They will be looking for what they left. We must make sure that we have not left the things that they are coming back to. In our text, Jesus paints a picture of what they should find when they get here. The bible says that the father saw the son when he was a great way off. This implies that the father was looking for. The father had hope and anticipation that his son would return. He had prepared for that moment. He told the servant to get the fatted calf. That implies that they had been holding and preparing that animal for the son’s eventual return. Are we prepared for the revival that God is sending us? Everything we do should be in preparation for what God is sending us. Are we really ready for who God is going to send? We have to welcome them all, even the ones that may have caused problems. We must be willing to set aside history and replace it with His Story. The truth is that many of us do not deserve to be here, but we are. Those that are coming need to be here just as desperately as we do.

We live in troubling times. We do not need to be intimidated by our times, but we must know how to live in what Paul calls this present evil world. Paul had a close connection to the Galatian church. He was concerned about a spirit pushing the adherence to the Mosaic law. He was worried about the attack that was coming against the faith of the new believers. Paul determined that the best was to set the record straight, was to go straight to the record. Paul begins his letter not by railing against what was happening, but by harkening back to the fundamentals of their belief. He begins by talking about grace. Grace is undeserved generosity from God. We cannot do anything to earn or deserve grace, but God gives it to us freely. Next, Paul reminds them of the peace that God brought them. What a blessing it is to have God’s peace every day. Paul prayed for a release of the blessing and peace of God in their life. The answer to combating the spirit of this age is the acceptance of God’s grace and peace.

We live in troubling times. We do not need to be intimidated by our times, but we must know how to live in what Paul calls this present evil world. Paul had a close connection to the Galatian church. He was concerned about a spirit pushing the adherence to the Mosaic law. He was worried about the attack that was coming against the faith of the new believers. Paul determined that the best was to set the record straight, was to go straight to the record. Paul begins his letter not by railing against what was happening, but by harkening back to the fundamentals of their belief. He begins by talking about grace. Grace is undeserved generosity from God. We cannot do anything to earn or deserve grace, but God gives it to us freely. Next, Paul reminds them of the peace that God brought them. What a blessing it is to have God’s peace every day. Paul prayed for a release of the blessing and peace of God in their life. The answer to combating the spirit of this age is the acceptance of God’s grace and peace.

We live in troubling times. We do not need to be intimidated by our times, but we must know how to live in what Paul calls this present evil world. Paul had a close connection to the Galatian church. He was concerned about a spirit pushing the adherence to the Mosaic law. He was worried about the attack that was coming against the faith of the new believers. Paul determined that the best was to set the record straight, was to go straight to the record. Paul begins his letter not by railing against what was happening, but by harkening back to the fundamentals of their belief. He begins by talking about grace. Grace is undeserved generosity from God. We cannot do anything to earn or deserve grace, but God gives it to us freely. Next, Paul reminds them of the peace that God brought them. What a blessing it is to have God’s peace every day. Paul prayed for a release of the blessing and peace of God in their life. The answer to combating the spirit of this age is the acceptance of God’s grace and peace.

In our story, everyone knew that the girl was dead. We can only imagine what Jairus experienced in the course of this story. He goes to find Jesus to help his dying daughter. Jesus agrees to go, but along the way, they are delayed by the woman with the issue of blood. After Jesus helps her, word comes that his daughter was dead. Jesus tells him to fear not, and they continue their journey to his home. Jesus tells them that she is not dead but only sleeping. All there knew, she was dead and mocked Jesus for saying that she only slept. When God gets involved, it does not matter what we know, because God is not limited by what we know. When Jesus shows up on the scene, what we know does not matter. What matters is what Jesus can do. Education and experience are not a waste of time, but sometimes we have to put aside what we know and trust in God’s word. When we know Him, then everything else will fall into place.