The bible references children often. Faith like a child. Being like a child. There are things in life that are childlike and that are qualities that we cannot lose. Not childish, but childlike. The bible says to be like a child who believes that anything is possible and is full of wonder and imagination. Children see world in a much different way that we who have been knocked down by life a few times. Children have to grow up. They have to, as our text says, put away childish things. The writer says “when I was a child.” This is a man who has seen some life and began to look back over his life. He states that some things have to be put away as we grow. Clothes, cribs and favorite toys have to be put away because they simply do not fit any longer, and to continue to use them would be childish. There are however, some things that cannot be put away: We cannot put away a prayer life. The second thing that cannot be put away is the Word. The bible is the best selling book every year, but it is often not read. Reading the word is an important thing that cannot be put away. Third, we must not put the church away. Everyone needs a church, not online, but real church with real people with whom we can fellowship. We also need an alter. We cannot put an alter away. Both physical and spiritual, we need an alter on which we can lay down our lives for God. Our graduates have had to put away Ninja Turtle toys, the high chair and Little Pony shoes. Bro. Long encourages our graduates to put away the childish things, but not the important things.

The bible references children often. Faith like a child. Being like a child. There are things in life that are childlike and that are qualities that we cannot lose. Not childish, but childlike. The bible says to be like a child who believes that anything is possible and is full of wonder and imagination. Children see world in a much different way that we who have been knocked down by life a few times. Children have to grow up. They have to, as our text says, put away childish things. The writer says “when I was a child.” This is a man who has seen some life and began to look back over his life. He states that some things have to be put away as we grow. Clothes, cribs and favorite toys have to be put away because they simply do not fit any longer, and to continue to use them would be childish. There are however, some things that cannot be put away: We cannot put away a prayer life. The second thing that cannot be put away is the Word. The bible is the best selling book every year, but it is often not read. Reading the word is an important thing that cannot be put away. Third, we must not put the church away. Everyone needs a church, not online, but real church with real people with whom we can fellowship. We also need an alter. We cannot put an alter away. Both physical and spiritual, we need an alter on which we can lay down our lives for God. Our graduates have had to put away Ninja Turtle toys, the high chair and Little Pony shoes. Bro. Long encourages our graduates to put away the childish things, but not the important things.

The word of God has been referred to as a seed. There is great power in a seed. From something so small, great things are brought to be. This is only possible when the seed is put into the right environment. If a seed is placed on a shelf, it will never be anything but a seed. But if it is put in the ground and watered, it will sprout and begin to grow. It has to be put into action. In our text, God promises Abram the all the land he can see. That promise was given, but it was not activated until until Abram walked the length and breadth of the land. Because Abram acted on God’s word, the promise came to pass. How many promises never come to pass, because we do not act on God’s word? It is not enough to have a promise; that promise has to be acted on and claimed. We are not waiting for God to do something, He is waiting on us to do something. In the story of Peter walking on the water, Peter did not walk on the water. He walked on the word: come. Too many of us do not experience the miracles that God wants for us because we do not walk on the word that God has given us. We may not have anything else to live for is the Word, but that is enough. Until we put the promise of God in the right atmosphere, nothing will come of it. God promised Abram all the land he could walk on. You’ve got to walk in it before it works.

The word of God has been referred to as a seed. There is great power in a seed. From something so small, great things are brought to be. This is only possible when the seed is put into the right environment. If a seed is placed on a shelf, it will never be anything but a seed. But if it is put in the ground and watered, it will sprout and begin to grow. It has to be put into action. In our text, God promises Abram the all the land he can see. That promise was given, but it was not activated until until Abram walked the length and breadth of the land. Because Abram acted on God’s word, the promise came to pass. How many promises never come to pass, because we do not act on God’s word? It is not enough to have a promise; that promise has to be acted on and claimed. We are not waiting for God to do something, He is waiting on us to do something. In the story of Peter walking on the water, Peter did not walk on the water. He walked on the word: come. Too many of us do not experience the miracles that God wants for us because we do not walk on the word that God has given us. We may not have anything else to live for is the Word, but that is enough. Until we put the promise of God in the right atmosphere, nothing will come of it. God promised Abram all the land he could walk on. You’ve got to walk in it before it works.

The issue that Jesus addresses in Matthew 18 that is of paramount importance. It is not something that is produced by the devil, but we produce it ourselves. If this happens in our lives, we will be bound. This issue is forgiveness. Jesus declares emphatically that this is a heaven or hell issue. When we do not forgive others who offend us, we place ourselves in a prison. If we do not leave offenses behind, they will consume our lives. They will occupy our thoughts and conversations. If we forgive and move on, there is no room for the past to hold on to us. If we are bound, there is no room for God to act in our lives.

The issue that Jesus addresses in Matthew 18 that is of paramount importance. It is not something that is produced by the devil, but we produce it ourselves. If this happens in our lives, we will be bound. This issue is forgiveness. Jesus declares emphatically that this is a heaven or hell issue. When we do not forgive others who offend us, we place ourselves in a prison. If we do not leave offenses behind, they will consume our lives. They will occupy our thoughts and conversations. If we forgive and move on, there is no room for the past to hold on to us. If we are bound, there is no room for God to act in our lives.

On this Mother’s Day, we honor mothers and say thank you. Pastor’s message today is, perhaps a little different for a traditional mother’s day. Our world defines beauty in a away to drive sales and revenue. Women are pressured every day to achieve some standard that is attainable by only a few. To make matters worse, if too many people begin to achieve the definition of beautiful, they change the standard so that women will continue to spend money to achieve the new standard. Beauty is now the beast that rules many women’s lives. Cosmetic surgery is one of the most lucrative field of medicine as women try to achieve the ‘perfect” look. The corollary to all this is that, many women, they feel that they are not beautiful because they do not meet an artificial and ever changing standard. They come to view themselves as failures which leads to further problems and issues. Those that have it are striving to not lose it, and those that don’t have it strive to achieve it. Both are wrong and miss the true definition of beauty. Real beauty is defined in the bible. When Peter wrote todays text, he was addressing the roles of men and women. In the process of writing this letter, he lays out several “beauty tips” than can have a long lasting result. First a beautiful woman knows where to put the right emphasis. She knows that true beauty begins on the inside, not on the outside. She is not preoccupied with the superficial. A Godly woman who has found the secret of true beauty knows that what is on the inside is more important than what she is wearing. When she works from the inside, she is beautiful all over. By understanding what God gave her and respecting herself, she will demonstrate a modest, and Godly appearance. Beautiful women are always ones that have respect from themselves. A woman of beauty is one who carries herself with respect and to put boundaries in her life. Finally our text describes a certain devotion in the live of a beautiful woman. She has been able to determine the things in life with which she must be concerned, and those that can be ignored. A woman of true beauty invests herself in those things that will not decay over time. Specifically, Peter mentions appreciation. There is nothing more beautiful than a thankful heart. He also says that a beautiful has a meek and cheerful spirit. That does not mean that she never says anything or become angry. It does mean that the beautifly woman is able to control her temper. Having a mood or becoming angry is not a bad thing, but if that mood or anger begins to control life, it becomes a problem. As with many things, the world’s definition of beauty is very different from the biblical definition. A woman who lives by the biblical example of beauty will be beautiful indeed.

On this Mother’s Day, we honor mothers and say thank you. Pastor’s message today is, perhaps a little different for a traditional mother’s day. Our world defines beauty in a away to drive sales and revenue. Women are pressured every day to achieve some standard that is attainable by only a few. To make matters worse, if too many people begin to achieve the definition of beautiful, they change the standard so that women will continue to spend money to achieve the new standard. Beauty is now the beast that rules many women’s lives. Cosmetic surgery is one of the most lucrative field of medicine as women try to achieve the ‘perfect” look. The corollary to all this is that, many women, they feel that they are not beautiful because they do not meet an artificial and ever changing standard. They come to view themselves as failures which leads to further problems and issues. Those that have it are striving to not lose it, and those that don’t have it strive to achieve it. Both are wrong and miss the true definition of beauty. Real beauty is defined in the bible. When Peter wrote todays text, he was addressing the roles of men and women. In the process of writing this letter, he lays out several “beauty tips” than can have a long lasting result. First a beautiful woman knows where to put the right emphasis. She knows that true beauty begins on the inside, not on the outside. She is not preoccupied with the superficial. A Godly woman who has found the secret of true beauty knows that what is on the inside is more important than what she is wearing. When she works from the inside, she is beautiful all over. By understanding what God gave her and respecting herself, she will demonstrate a modest, and Godly appearance. Beautiful women are always ones that have respect from themselves. A woman of beauty is one who carries herself with respect and to put boundaries in her life. Finally our text describes a certain devotion in the live of a beautiful woman. She has been able to determine the things in life with which she must be concerned, and those that can be ignored. A woman of true beauty invests herself in those things that will not decay over time. Specifically, Peter mentions appreciation. There is nothing more beautiful than a thankful heart. He also says that a beautiful has a meek and cheerful spirit. That does not mean that she never says anything or become angry. It does mean that the beautifly woman is able to control her temper. Having a mood or becoming angry is not a bad thing, but if that mood or anger begins to control life, it becomes a problem. As with many things, the world’s definition of beauty is very different from the biblical definition. A woman who lives by the biblical example of beauty will be beautiful indeed.

The Christian life is a life of contradictions. It is a life filled with paradoxes that are hard to understand. For instance, the way to gain is to give. We are called to life, but we face death. We are called to joy, but we live with tears and brokenness. We are called to peace, but we live with conflict. The question is how do we respond to these paradoxes? If we are not careful, everyday can become a battle. If we are not careful each day will be “another one of those days? We become so conditioned to react to life in a certain way: anger, frustration, fear etc. When we live that way, we set ourselves up for a hard time.

Paul teaches us through his writing how to address the challenges and problems in life. In fact, Paul doesn’t look at these things as problems, but at opportunities. How different is that from how we usually respond to trouble? What was Paul’s secret to turning these problems into opportunities.

Paul had a keen ability to stay on target no matter what storm blew into his life. He realized that He was in the hand of God who ordered the days of his life. He was not victim of fate or circumstance, but he knew that he was in the hand of the almighty God.

There are three things that we learn from the life of Paul in dealing with life’s struggles.

First, Paul viewed his troubles as opportunities to grow. He saw problems as a way to strengthen his faith and he learned to move in rhythm with them. He found a way to find understanding the reason for each problem that he faced. Secondly, Paul learned to transform his opportunity to learn. He learned to walk in the dark. He learned to sing in the midnight hour. He learned to pray with shackles around his wrists. He learned to be gracious, humble and patient. Third, Paul let his opposition to become an opportunity for awakening. He refused to become complacent. He allow his opposition to be a tool to stir him and get him back in touch with God.

Paul faced many unpleasant things in his life. He used those things to strengthen his relationship with God. Rather than fighting against these things, he learned to move in rhythm with his adversity. Paul learned to transform the battle into a dance.

The Christian life is a life of contradictions. It is a life filled with paradoxes that are hard to understand. For instance, the way to gain is to give. We are called to life, but we face death. We are called to joy, but we live with tears and brokenness. We are called to peace, but we live with conflict. The question is how do we respond to these paradoxes? If we are not careful, everyday can become a battle. If we are not careful each day will be “another one of those days? We become so conditioned to react to life in a certain way: anger, frustration, fear etc. When we live that way, we set ourselves up for a hard time.

Paul teaches us through his writing how to address the challenges and problems in life. In fact, Paul doesn’t look at these things as problems, but at opportunities. How different is that from how we usually respond to trouble? What was Paul’s secret to turning these problems into opportunities.

Paul had a keen ability to stay on target no matter what storm blew into his life. He realized that He was in the hand of God who ordered the days of his life. He was not victim of fate or circumstance, but he knew that he was in the hand of the almighty God.

There are three things that we learn from the life of Paul in dealing with life’s struggles.

First, Paul viewed his troubles as opportunities to grow. He saw problems as a way to strengthen his faith and he learned to move in rhythm with them. He found a way to find understanding the reason for each problem that he faced. Secondly, Paul learned to transform his opportunity to learn. He learned to walk in the dark. He learned to sing in the midnight hour. He learned to pray with shackles around his wrists. He learned to be gracious, humble and patient. Third, Paul let his opposition to become an opportunity for awakening. He refused to become complacent. He allow his opposition to be a tool to stir him and get him back in touch with God.

Paul faced many unpleasant things in his life. He used those things to strengthen his relationship with God. Rather than fighting against these things, he learned to move in rhythm with his adversity. Paul learned to transform the battle into a dance.