Messages

Weeping is real. The weeping of Christmas was real. It’s a part of life and God uses it. But Jesus came so that weeping isn’t the last word, joy is. Jesus is good news of great joy.

A big part of patience is being able to wait when we don’t want to wait. To live under the burden that waiting presses on our soul and trust that God knows best.

Overcome is a fighting word. Love hates evil, therefore love fights against evil. When we can fight against an evil, we should do so. If we can stand up for someone who is being bullied, or wronged, we should do it. When we can speak up for those who can’t speak up for themselves, we should have the courage (rooted in love) to speak up.

Once again we stand in view of God’s mercy. We love because he first loved us. And because he loved us so freely we are free to love others, no strings attached. Let your love be genuine

A part of God’s will for our lives is that we use the gifts and talents He gave us for His purposes. To build up His church. To help those who don’t know Christ find Christ. ?

As we live life as an act of worship, being transformed by the Spirit into the likeness of Christ, we will know through His word and in our spirits that we are in God’s will. We will be able to test and approve – that is we will know – that God is increasingly the center of our lives.

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. That’s making God the center of all we do and as we do that everything else falls into order. We start to live more for God and His will than for ourselves and our will.

Put up a little sail. Lift up that need, but not just with words. Hoist some sail. Pray with faith. Ask with fervor. Don’t give up. And don’t focus your faith on what you want, don’t focus your faith on your faith, focus your faith on Jesus. The Author and Finisher of our faith.

Sometimes we turn our faith away from Jesus and towards the problem. I know something bad is going to happen. I know I’ll never be free from this snare. That’s faith, but wrong kind of faith. Look to Jesus and start confessing a different kind of faith: Jesus can set me free, Jesus has set me free.