We at times get weary. We look our situation and are unable to see anything but the bad. We see the news and we feel that all is bad in the world and that there is no hope. We may have a good service and feel up, but come Monday morning, we find ourselves facing the same problems. The psalms depict similar emotional roller coasters. David had some of the highest highs, but he also writes about the lowest of lows; often in the same psalm. David had his mind made up, but in all of that he still experienced weariness. Through all of this, David knew how to reach God. He knew that in those moments of despair, He could look to God and that He was greater than anything he might be experiencing on earth. Verse 4 of our text is widely used for encouragement: Who am I that you are mindful of me. But before we get to that, we have verse 3 where David says when I consider…” This implies that there were moments of doubt, of questioning, of worry, of weariness. David looks at the ups and downs of his life and proclaims, that when he considers all the great things that God has created, he cannot help but say thank you to God for being concerned about us. Our God is greater than any challenge, struggle, sickness or trial we may be experiencing. No matter what our circumstance, God had blessed us. We may not have what we think we should have, but God has blessed all of us with provision, protection and blessings. Often we fail to see these as blessings, but God has kept us, blessed us, and protected us. When we consider all of this, we have a change of outlook on life. There is an old saying that you are as you consider yourself to be. If we consider ourselves blessed, we will live that way. It all starts with an attitude. When I consider it all, oh how will our perspective change.

We at times get weary. We look our situation and are unable to see anything but the bad. We see the news and we feel that all is bad in the world and that there is no hope. We may have a good service and feel up, but come Monday morning, we find ourselves facing the same problems. The psalms depict similar emotional roller coasters. David had some of the highest highs, but he also writes about the lowest of lows; often in the same psalm. David had his mind made up, but in all of that he still experienced weariness. Through all of this, David knew how to reach God. He knew that in those moments of despair, He could look to God and that He was greater than anything he might be experiencing on earth. Verse 4 of our text is widely used for encouragement: Who am I that you are mindful of me. But before we get to that, we have verse 3 where David says when I consider…” This implies that there were moments of doubt, of questioning, of worry, of weariness. David looks at the ups and downs of his life and proclaims, that when he considers all the great things that God has created, he cannot help but say thank you to God for being concerned about us. Our God is greater than any challenge, struggle, sickness or trial we may be experiencing. No matter what our circumstance, God had blessed us. We may not have what we think we should have, but God has blessed all of us with provision, protection and blessings. Often we fail to see these as blessings, but God has kept us, blessed us, and protected us. When we consider all of this, we have a change of outlook on life. There is an old saying that you are as you consider yourself to be. If we consider ourselves blessed, we will live that way. It all starts with an attitude. When I consider it all, oh how will our perspective change.

The world is about to experience another royal wedding. Among all the other preparation for the pageantry and the event, Meghan Markle is receiving an intense education on how to be a royal. She will learn all the protocols and expectations of being a princes. The rule are strict and complex. Being a royal is a life that consumes their life and things that they could once do, they are no longer allowed to do. In our text, Paul is trying to address some issues he observed with the family of God. What it means to be a child of the King of Kings comes with certain requirements and expectations. Paul letters to the early church often had a broad audience, but this letter is a more personal message to Titus. Paul gives advice to Titus about selecting leadership to the church in Crete. In the middle of his advice to Titus, Paul lays out one of the clearest visions of what it takes to be in the family of God. Paul notes that none of us were born into the family of God, we had to receive grace to be invited in. There is a lot of misguided thinking regarding grace. A common thinking is that grace has freed us from the law, and that we live now by grace. The world stops with that concept that grace covers all. They use that view of grace to continue to live in sin and look to grace to cover a life that is not in line with the type of life that God desires that we live. Grace is a changing experience and ushers us into the royal family as new creatures. But Paul does not stop there. He goes on to say that grace is more than an experience, but a moral change that occurs in a person’s life. Meghan Markle has to learn all about being a royal before she is allowed to be one, but God allows us to be part of His family and then learn what it takes to be part of it. God knows that we will not understand how to be part of His family, so He pours himself out for us while we were yet sinners. So we get to have the experience part of grace, and then discover the effect part of grace. Grace moves us to another level of living and becomes our instructor in the ways of the royal family. Grace’s education in our life begins with learning to say no. The grace of God that appears to all men educates us on those things to which we should say no. Grace contradicts some things. Grace blocks some things. There are certain actions, tendencies, desires, and attitudes that Grace will teach us to stay away from. Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness. Paul tells us that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Soberly means that we should live in control of ourselves. Righteously can be gauged by a simple question: Is it right to do that? Godly means like God. These simple concepts are the education of a child of God.

The world is about to experience another royal wedding. Among all the other preparation for the pageantry and the event, Meghan Markle is receiving an intense education on how to be a royal. She will learn all the protocols and expectations of being a princes. The rule are strict and complex. Being a royal is a life that consumes their life and things that they could once do, they are no longer allowed to do. In our text, Paul is trying to address some issues he observed with the family of God. What it means to be a child of the King of Kings comes with certain requirements and expectations. Paul letters to the early church often had a broad audience, but this letter is a more personal message to Titus. Paul gives advice to Titus about selecting leadership to the church in Crete. In the middle of his advice to Titus, Paul lays out one of the clearest visions of what it takes to be in the family of God. Paul notes that none of us were born into the family of God, we had to receive grace to be invited in. There is a lot of misguided thinking regarding grace. A common thinking is that grace has freed us from the law, and that we live now by grace. The world stops with that concept that grace covers all. They use that view of grace to continue to live in sin and look to grace to cover a life that is not in line with the type of life that God desires that we live. Grace is a changing experience and ushers us into the royal family as new creatures. But Paul does not stop there. He goes on to say that grace is more than an experience, but a moral change that occurs in a person’s life. Meghan Markle has to learn all about being a royal before she is allowed to be one, but God allows us to be part of His family and then learn what it takes to be part of it. God knows that we will not understand how to be part of His family, so He pours himself out for us while we were yet sinners. So we get to have the experience part of grace, and then discover the effect part of grace. Grace moves us to another level of living and becomes our instructor in the ways of the royal family. Grace’s education in our life begins with learning to say no. The grace of God that appears to all men educates us on those things to which we should say no. Grace contradicts some things. Grace blocks some things. There are certain actions, tendencies, desires, and attitudes that Grace will teach us to stay away from. Grace teaches us to deny ungodliness. Paul tells us that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world. Soberly means that we should live in control of ourselves. Righteously can be gauged by a simple question: Is it right to do that? Godly means like God. These simple concepts are the education of a child of God.

Greater Life is in the midst of revival. This revival is changing lives and hopefully causing us to look at life through His eyes. We have to quit looking at our church through human eyes, and begin to view it from a spiritual perspective. Our physical eyes see a rectangular building, but our spiritual eyes have to view it as a gateway to an encounter with the almighty God. When we read God’s word, it has to be more than just words and sentences on a page, but a look into the mind of God. In our text, Jacob experienced an awakening that revealed to him that he was in a holy place. Bro. Hughes asks God for just such a revelation to us at Greater Life Church. Due to the storm, we are meeting in a building in our family life center. Whatever activities may have gone on in this building before, it is no longer a gym, it is a gateway to heaven. We aren’t in just any building, we are in a place where God dwells.

Greater Life is in the midst of revival. This revival is changing lives and hopefully causing us to look at life through His eyes. We have to quit looking at our church through human eyes, and begin to view it from a spiritual perspective. Our physical eyes see a rectangular building, but our spiritual eyes have to view it as a gateway to an encounter with the almighty God. When we read God’s word, it has to be more than just words and sentences on a page, but a look into the mind of God. In our text, Jacob experienced an awakening that revealed to him that he was in a holy place. Bro. Hughes asks God for just such a revelation to us at Greater Life Church. Due to the storm, we are meeting in a building in our family life center. Whatever activities may have gone on in this building before, it is no longer a gym, it is a gateway to heaven. We aren’t in just any building, we are in a place where God dwells.

In scripture the word testimony indicates a demonstration or proof of something. It is the personal story of how God had touched us. A testimony is a very powerful thing. There is a distinct message to be conveyed by a testimony. It is a rehearsing and remembering of what God has done. Every provision, every healing, every help is a testimony. Repeatedly in the old testament, God admonished Israel to keep his testimony. The only way to keep a testimony is to speak it and tell it often so that it is not forgotten. It is God’s way of keeping us touch with the supernatural. The testimony of Jesus was everything that he did on earth. John tells us that this is the prophecy of what He still wants to do in our life today. He is not a God of the past. He is the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Whatever He did in the past, He wants to do today. His testimony prophecies His present intent. It speaks to His very nature. This is what He is. His testimony then becomes the lens through which we look at our present situation. Impossibilities become opportunities when viewed through this lens. God wants to invade our impossibilities.

In scripture the word testimony indicates a demonstration or proof of something. It is the personal story of how God had touched us. A testimony is a very powerful thing. There is a distinct message to be conveyed by a testimony. It is a rehearsing and remembering of what God has done. Every provision, every healing, every help is a testimony. Repeatedly in the old testament, God admonished Israel to keep his testimony. The only way to keep a testimony is to speak it and tell it often so that it is not forgotten. It is God’s way of keeping us touch with the supernatural. The testimony of Jesus was everything that he did on earth. John tells us that this is the prophecy of what He still wants to do in our life today. He is not a God of the past. He is the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Whatever He did in the past, He wants to do today. His testimony prophecies His present intent. It speaks to His very nature. This is what He is. His testimony then becomes the lens through which we look at our present situation. Impossibilities become opportunities when viewed through this lens. God wants to invade our impossibilities.

Greater Life Church

Greater Life Church