Offense is a growth opportunity. How will you respond when another Christian hurts you? Will you become offended and bitter? Will you ignore them and refuse to talk with them? Will you leave the church in an attempt to find a better one?  Or, will you allow the experience to become a tool that helps you grow spiritually? 

Main Points:

1. Every Christian is in process. We are not who we used to be, but we are not yet what we will be in Christ. We are learning and we are growing, but we are not yet perfect. Sometimes we make mistakes, we react, we get frustrated, and we say things we shouldn’t.

2. We can’t use our imperfections as an excuse. We have to own our behavior, ask God for forgiveness, ask others for their forgiveness and seek to reconcile. The mistakes then become an opportunity for our spiritual growth.

3. No one is immune to the challenges that come from relationships, even those among believers. We will all face them. Yet, there is so much growth that can occur in our character as we continue to love, pray, forgive, and sometimes confront.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Luke 6:28 - “bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”  

Ephesians 4:32 - “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Proverbs 19:11 - “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.”

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Character is never built in a classroom. Character is built in the circumstances of life.  God builds character in our lives by allowing us to experience situations where we are tempted to do the exact opposite of the character quality. Character development always involves a choice. When we make the right choice, our character grows more like Christ.  

Main Points:

1. We don’t know why tragic circumstances happen in our lives. We don’t know why accidents happen. We don’t know why people receive bad news from the doctor. Life and its difficulties comes to us all. Live long enough and you will experience suffering.

2. God will use every circumstance of our lives to help us be more like Jesus. If you think back over your life you’ll realize that you have grown through the things you suffered. 

3. Christ-like character is the goal of the Christian life.  To settle for anything less is to miss the point of spiritual growth.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Isaiah 43:2 - “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.”

Hebrews 5:8  - “Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.”

Romans 8:28 - “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

Romans 8:29 - “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.”

Ephesians 4:13 - We are to “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

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Do you ever wonder what God is up to? When there is a path forward that seems to be logical, rational, and reasonable, yet God takes another path? What is God’ doing? Where is He taking us? These are questions we all ask. But here is a better question for  us to consider: Will we trust God’s plan? Will we trust our lives to a sovereign God who sees and knows all things?

Main Points:

1.Our decision to trust God comes down to our belief in his goodness. If you truly believe God is good, that his is loving, and that what he does is always right, you are more likely to trust him.

2. The longer you serve God, the more you realize that God’s ways don’t always make sense to us. He knows and sees what what we do not. If you are waiting for God to make sense to you, it’s not likely you will trust Him. This is a faith journey. Will you believe? Will you put your complete trust in him? 

3. Whatever you are facing today remember that God knows and that He has a plan. Decide to trust Him. Let His plan for your life unfold. 

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Mark 4:37-38 - “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

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When we live out our faith in public, it naturally produces questions in the minds of unbelievers. We’ll likely hear questions such as: Why are you a Christian? What do you believe about God? Do you believe the Bible is the Word of God? Why did Jesus die on the cross? Where is God in this messed up world? Why do you go to church on Sundays?

Main Points:

1. We need to reject the cultural pressure to keep our beliefs to ourselves. This is the strategy of Satan, to intimidate believers into keeping their mouths shut and not speaking up for our savior. Remember, we have good news! Good news is to be shared with others.

2. Over the years, I’ve heard Christian say they don’t share their faith because they don’t feel prepared to answer these questions. This is exactly why the Apostle Peter says we are to “get ready.” We can prepare ourselves by thinking though how we would share our testimony. Write down why you believe in Jesus. Discuss with a friend or family member how you would answer basic questions.

3. We must pray and ask God to use us. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill your heart and mind with the words to say. Trust that He will enable you to speak beyond your natural ability. Believe that God will use your words to speak to the hearts of the listener. 

Today’s Scripture Verses:

1 Peter 3:15 - "“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

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As we read the four Gospels, we see Jesus modeling prayer and teaching His disciples to pray, but did you know that Jesus gave us only one prayer request? Yes, Jesus himself asks us to pray for something.

Main Points:

1. As Jesus speaks about the lost, those who have not put their faith in God, he uses the metaphor of a field of crops that are ripe and ready to be harvested. He said the harvest is plentiful. There are many who would come into the kingdom of God, yet there is one obstacle. The workers are few. Jesus warned us that opportunities to meet human need and bring people into His kingdom may be wasted because of a shortage of laborers.

2. It’s here that Jesus gives us his prayer request. Since the harvest belongs to the Lord, we are to pray to Him and ask him to send more workers into his harvest field.

3. There is an urgency in the heart of Jesus. As he sees the need, he knows that time is of the essence. A harvest will not always be ready. Eventually, a missed harvest will spoil, its fruit will rot. There is a need for laborers and the need is now.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Matthew 9:37-38 - “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

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When we see all God has created, simply by speaking a word, we recognize his existence, his majesty, and his power. I believe there is a natural curiosity in our hearts that cannot be completely satisfied by anything else but a belief in the existence of God.

Main Points:

1. Listen again to those powerful words: “The heavens proclaim the glory of God.”  David looked to the heavens – not the spiritual heaven where God is enthroned, but the heavens of the blue sky and the night sky – and he clearly saw the glory of God declared.

2. I think you have I have experienced what David saw and felt. When you see the serenity of a sunrise or the beauty of a sunset, when we see a sky filled with millions of stars, when we see the radiance of the sun and moon, and when we think of the multitude of galaxies God has created, it all reveals the glory of God.

3. The word glory here means that which gives the honor to God - his wisdom, power, skill, faithfulness, benevolence, as seen in the starry worlds above us, and even the silent, movements by day and by night. The idea is, that these convey to the mind a true impression of the greatness and majesty of God. Everyone with physical eyesight can see the glory of God.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Psalm 19:1-2 - “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known.”

Psalm 8:1,3-4 - “O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”

Romans 1:20 - “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” 

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When we recognize how great God’s love is for us, the only response is to love him in return. No one has done for us what God has done. No one has given to us what God has given. Jesus laid down his life as a sacrifice for our sins so that we could have forgiveness and eternal life. It is the greatest demonstration of love the world has ever seen.

Main Points:

1. Loving God is our great motivation to serve. It is not a drudgery to serve God. It is not a burden or an obligation. It is not a problem to serve Him. If Jesus would go to the cross for us, we should willingly and lovingly serve Him in return.

2. Having been changed by the love of God, we love him in return. This love compels us to follow, surrender, serve, and obey.

3. Join me in asking God to help us to love Him more. I believe this prayer honors the Lord. He will give us a greater capacity to love and it will become the motivation for all we do.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Romans 5:8 - “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

John 14:15 - “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

2 Corinthians 5:14 - “For the love of Christ compels us…”

Matthew 22:37 - “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

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What Jesus did for us on the cross was a complete work. It is a finished work. While Jesus hung on the cross he said these words, “It is finished.” There is nothing more to do. He obeyed his Father completely. Our debt of sin is paid in full. 

Main Points:

1. How foolish it would be to continue to try and pay for something that has already been paid for, yet that’s what many people do with their salvation. Jesus has paid their debt in full with his sacrificial death on the cross, yet they continue to try to pay for their salvation.

2. What Jesus had come to do was completed. The justice of a righteous and a holy God was satisfied. The penalty for sin had been given. The price had been paid in full.

3. There is nothing we can do to add to our salvation. But it’s here that many of us struggle. Surely there must be something for me to do to be saved. But there is not. Not good deeds, not cleaning up your life, not baptism, not religious activity. There is nothing we can do to add to our salvation. Our debt is paid in full.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Colossians 2:13-14 - “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.”

Revelation 13:8 Jesus…”the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

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Which physical posture of prayer is the right one for you?  I would say, none of them! Rather than the external posture, the Bible emphasizes the posture of the heart. Whether you are standing, sitting, or lying down, the important thing is that your heart is bowed in submission to the lordship of Christ. 

Main Points:

1. True prayer is characterized by the posture of the heart, not the physical posture of the person praying.

2. So, what is the right posture of our hearts as we come to God in prayer. I believe it must include three things: reverence, humility, and gratitude.

3. As you pray today, it may be that you’ll sense God leading you to a particular posture of prayer. Maybe you’ll kneel, stand, or even lift your hands. Whichever posture of prayer you choose, don’t forget about the posture of your heart.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Ephesians 3:14 - “For this reason, I kneel before the Father.” 

Psalm 95:6 - “Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”

Hebrews 12:28 - “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.”

John 14:13 - “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 - “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

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 I want to assure you today that no matter what you are experiencing or what you feel, God’s face is turned towards you. He does know what you feel and He cares.

Main Points:

1. Perhaps you feel down today, thinking all your hope is gone, that even God has abandoned you. Yes, you may feel those things, but that doesn’t mean your feelings are true. The God of Heaven knows what you are feeling. He understands the pressure you are feeling. Most of all, He is there. He cares and He is with you.

2. In your loneliness, stand on this great truth from Scripture. God is with you. In fact, he has promised to always be with you.

3. What is it that lifts our spirits when we are lonely? What encourages our hearts? I believe the answer is found in worship. When we worship Jesus we experience a change in perspective. Our focus is no longer on our loneliness, the absence of friends and family, and what we do not have. Our focus now is solely upon Jesus, his comforting presence, his love for us, and his promise to always be with us.

Today’s Scripture Verses:

Genesis 2:18 - “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.”

Hebrews 13:5 - “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”

Isaiah 43:2 - “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.” 

Psalm 27:10 - "Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD will hold me close.” 

Proverbs 18:24 - “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

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