Sunday Words of Encouragement September 1, 2019

We shared prayer concerns this week and then our Sunday School teacher shared a lesson based on the story of Gideon in Judges 6 and 7. The youth led an engaging time of praise and worship.

Pastor continued his sermon series on Culture Shift.
The first we looked outside the church to note the Point: We must lead people by our lives, to the real Jesus of the Bible. Last week he discussed the need for shift within: the Point: Every person most positively contribute to a culture of KINDNESS.

Pastor recalled when he and his wife were young newlyweds that had very little. They were more than happy to accept the hand-downs from family and friends. After a number of years they decided they could upgrade by replacing grandma’s slow cooker with a new one. They had three yard sales where they got a lesson on the value of their items. It became clear that their time was more valuable than the amount they gained at the sales.

We have to make choices every day on how we use our time. Some choose to go to Sunday School as more important than staying in bed. Some choose to go to Church as more important than going to the beach. (Some could choose to go to church on the beach.)

What value do we give to God? Do we truly worship our God or do we push Him to the sidelines and only seek Him when we are desperate? Is our promise of satisfaction in God or something or someone else?

Church events are only part of worship. When do we commit to unconditional worship? Nothing compares to God and being in His presence. Can we, will we remove what hinders our unconditional worship?

John 4 tells the story of Jesus meeting a Samaritan woman. The woman asks about worship in v19 and Jesus discusses worship in v20-24 concluding: “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24.

A lifestyle of worship. We need to hear God's voice. It has been said: Worship is an expression of God's worth in our lives.

The Point: The only way to truly worship God is to find all our satisfaction in Him.

Paul urges us to offer our “bodies as a living sacrifice,…” Romans 12: 1-2.
We may have to change how we think. We did to commit that God is above everything else. It may change our values, our priorities.
Everyday we have a choice.
Do you need to adjust your priorities in your life? Who or what do you find satisfaction in before God?

This was one of our worship songs this morning and it certainly fits the message: 

Build My Life.

Verses for Today:
Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)
12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.


I pray Lord that you will help me every morning to remember that You alone deserve the first place in my life and time.

Sunday Words of Encouragement September 4, 2016

We had another fine morning at church. The rain even held off to allow everyone to get in and out again before the strong rain fell.

Our SS Teacher focused on the beginning verses of Romans 12. Reading it from The Message translation gives a broader, more contemporary view of the text. However, the message is the same: we need to surrender our everyday lives to God’s control. Embracing what He does for you is the best thing you can do for Him. Romans 12:1 The Message (see below). Obedience to Him is most important. We need to recognize the gifts He has given us and use them for His purposes. We do not need to envy others or be prideful because each of us has a gift that must work together in the body for the whole to function properly. We actually should practice being second fiddle and allowing Christ to be the head of the body. We should love one another and make effort to be hospitable – meeting the needs of others.

Pastor’s “BE” message this morning was a perfect match. The text was also Romans 12:1-2 and the directive is to BE set apart – be holy. Not that we are able to be holy. But we shouldn’t be so much like the world that they don’t see a difference. ‘Set apart’ is a calling from God for all believers; it is the evidence of His work of grace.

We may have to accept being considered “weird” or even “fanatical” because our words, our values, our actions and our lives should look different. We should be always be trusting God and showing confidence and assurance even in troubled times.

(For some reason my tablet only saved half of my notes so I am missing the last portion and relying on memory which is faulty at this stage… especially since I rely on notes. **Sigh**.)

Pastor noted there are two steps to help us be set apart: Examine yourself and Submit to God’s way, not our own.

I found this wonderful praise song to share with today’s words: Set Apart by Worship Central.

Verses for Today: 12 1-2 The Message (MSG)
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

God, I pray that you will help me each day to surrender my life to you… to be set apart for you.