Invite a friend "Back to Church" on Sunday

1 Peter 2

I really enjoyed Oswald's Today and felt led to share it.
The Theology of Resting in God
Aug 12, 2010
Why are you fearful, O you of little faith? —Matthew 8:26

When we are afraid, the least we can do is pray to God. But our Lord has a right to expect that those who name His name have an underlying confidence in Him. God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the ones who are reliable. Yet our trust is only in God up to a certain point, then we turn back to the elementary panic-stricken prayers of those people who do not even know God. We come to our wits’ end, showing that we don’t have even the slightest amount of confidence in Him or in His sovereign control of the world. To us He seems to be asleep, and we can see nothing but giant, breaking waves on the sea ahead of us.

“. . . O you of little faith!” What a stinging pain must have shot through the disciples as they surely thought to themselves, “We missed the mark again!” And what a sharp pain will go through us when we suddenly realize that we could have produced complete and utter joy in the heart of Jesus by remaining absolutely confident in Him, in spite of what we were facing.

There are times when there is no storm or crisis in our lives, and we do all that is humanly possible. But it is when a crisis arises that we instantly reveal upon whom we rely. If we have been learning to worship God and to place our trust in Him, the crisis will reveal that we can go to the point of breaking, yet without breaking our confidence in Him.

We have been talking quite a lot about sanctification, but what will be the result in our lives? It will be expressed in our lives as a peaceful resting in God, which means a total oneness with Him. And this oneness will make us not only blameless in His sight, but also a profound joy to Him.
By Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest

Now for today's reading in 1 Peter He tells us:
1Pe 2:1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.
1Pe 2:2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
Satan wants to keep verse 1 in the forefront of our relationships so verse 2 will not have a chance. He's the master of illusion and deception and has 5000 years experience at turning things upside down and convincing us it is normal. We must get rid of these things Then our priorities will line up with the Lord's and what we crve will start to change.

1Pe 2:5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
God has a plan, the project is His and you have a place in it to make it complete. It's God's way. He's completing a work in us to complete the body of Christ so He can use us in ways we can't even imagine.

1Pe 2:15 For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.
What does my daily activity include that would shut peoples mouths. We shout silence them with good works not shock them with worldly actions that will fuel more of Satan's works.

1Pe 2:19 For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.
1Pe 2:20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.
We all want a good credit rating. Let's make it our goal to build the credit rating that comes with spiritual rewards that never cease. That's how God works. His promises and blessings are eternal. There will be showers of blessings that will never end.

1Pe 2:21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

Rejoice in sufferings, remaining in Him while following Christ and you will never go wrong. Ask of the Lord and your joy will be complete. John 16:24 & Deut 16:15

Ephesians 6

We start today being encouraged to have good relationships with parents, co-workers and each other. This includes working well together, and being compliant. That is hard as we work with different ages of children and youth that may not get any instruction here. Prayer helps immensely in my leadership and to be able to work well with others. Eph 6:6 "Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free."
The other area is to be strong in the Lord. We start with understanding the tricks of Satan to deceive us. Can you imagine living your whole life only to realize you had been tricked the whole time? That is why we need to use all the tools and protection to be able to make progress in our offensive here. Salvation, prayer, righteousness, God's word and power, faith, the gospel of peace and faith are great places to start.
Our loving Father has given us what we need to prevail in every area. I believe He has great things in store for those who take Him at at His word and step out in faith. Hope you have a great day in the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5

We start today looking at the earthly tent we live in as temporary. This temporary tent or body will be for a permanent one formed by God. We all long for the heavenly dwelling place the Father has created, to be with Him, spending time with God in fellowship with our Father so we can be fully clothed and not vulnerable to disease, pain, and weakness...4"so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." God always gives us what we need to have life to the full. 9"So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it." In this world of selfishness and instant gratification we must hear this from the Lord in order to make this adjustment. A person will not be able to change a self-centered heart. Only the God that created it can change it.
This change is the work of the love of Christ and it compels us to be ministers of reconciliation. We are ambassadors of Christ and appeal to everyone to be reconciled to God - 21"so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
Psalm 16:2 tells us "I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing."
So I encourage you to remain in Him to become the image of our loving Father in Heaven, for apart from Him there is no righteousness.

2nd Corinthians 2

Here we see a pastor's heart for the church. Paul had to write some painful things to them and decided not to return to go over those things at this time. The distress and anguish he had for them is familiar if you've ever had a child or family member wander and were grieved as they reacted to your input in their lives. Vs4 "For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you." This love is a love that imparts the truth in love to restore the one you love. It is an act of love and caring. It may not always be received that way, but give room and time for the Lord God to work.
They had to do some hard things here and are now asked to forgive and restore in genuine love. 7"Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything."
Many times forgiveness is the hardest test of all. We are to be aware that Satan wants to use this to outwit us. We are not to let him get a foothold in our spiritual life through unforgiveness. Paul says "I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."
Remember the opposite side of the equation 14"But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ's triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." God has good things in store for those who join in the procession. Have you seen those join Him lately? Do you desire for those in your life to meet Him? Please let God be your boss and join Him today and you will see the hand of God at work as He uses you to reach them. We all want to hear Christ tell us: John 11:40 Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?"

1 Corinthians 8

Today's passage starts out talking about eating food sacrificed to idols. It tells us "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up." Been puffed up lately? Could it be knowledge is getting a foot hold over what love wants to build in your life? verse2 explains: "The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by God." What does this have to do about eating sacrificed food? First since idols are not real then it doesn't matter. The food isn't defiled because it is to a God that is not real. So where is the problem? This is a great passage that pertains to our freedom in Christ. Our activities can be a help or cause others to stumble and fall. Co 8:9 "Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. 10 For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? 11 So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. 12 When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ."
This passage can be applied to any of our activities that cause others to change their thoughts and behaviors. If I start smoking or drinking it will give others permission to do that. If I start staying out of church or engaging in other activities that have not been specifically prohibited in scripture, I may be sinning against my brother and Christ by exercising freedom through the knowledge I have obtained, So I must go back to verse 3 and understand the relationship with God will cause me to be more concerned about my fellow man than my desires. Love wins again over knowledge. Love has kept me from sinning against my brother and God and letting knowledge have the victory. Practicing love will always bring us together as the desires of the father prevails over our desires.

Acts 8

Today in Acts 8 we see the Apostles at work. We get an idea of how much they believed the gospel by the way they responded to God during their ministry. Stephen boldly spoke the word of God to the Sanhedrin and even prayed for them as He was being stoned. Peter and John went to Samaria and brought them the Holy Spirit showing they understood the global vision for the Gospel. They also stood up to Simon the Sorcerer as he attempted to buy the power of God. Then there was Philip who was used greatly by God as he listened to the messengers the Lord sent to guide him into the different areas he was to be used. At this time Paul was also doing things for God. He was persecuting the church, throwing believers in prison and on the job stopping them from having any peace. We all have to be on guard as we do things for God. We can all head in a direction the church leaders are going or even support a position a denomination has taken without checking with God. Many times we ask for His permission rather than direction on what we are contemplating. There is a huge difference. Asking for direction takes our desires out of the equation. Asking for permission says we have already decided what to do and want God's approval. He may allow us to do this putting us in His permissive will instead of His perfect will. This always comes with many trials and lessons to be learned just as Paul had to experience. God did reach him, but He told Ananias in Act 9:16 "I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."
As we all seek God's will today pray, that He will instill in us the ability to follow in the way that He wants us to serve, and to make the mark in this world that we have been placed here to make.

Mark 13

The chapter starts out with Jesus prophesying about the things that are to come. Jesus talked about the temple being destroyed and it has been. Then He began to reveal what is going to happen in the rapture and tribulation. We don't know the time of His second coming, we can look for some signs and get our household ready to meet the Lord. Many will deceive us by saying they are the Christ, or they know the time,. but we are to look at the whole picture and believe the Lord and not them. Within the last several months we have had three major earthquakes. These are the beginning of birth-pains Christ talks about. Then we will see the abomination of desolation (vs. 14 also see Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11). Desolation is idolatry, and it will become rampant. Daniel puts it this way; 11:32 "Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall 5corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits. 33 And those of the people who understand shall instruct many; yet for many days they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering."
It is important not to go off the deep end, but to stay true to the word of the Lord and keep instructing those in your path in the word. Encourage them to get ready spiritually for the day of the Lord. Christ is coming back. Mark 13:24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be ashaken. 26 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then He will send His angels, and gather together His 8elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven."
There will be no time to prepare on that day. Now is the time to get the word of the Lord to your friends, family and co-workers in the way the Lord would have us do that. Pray about it and He will reveal the way He wants it done. That will be the only way for them to respond. When we follow God's plan, we always get His results. He will prepare them for you as you pray. "Watch and pray" as we prepare for the things of the Lord (Mark 13:33). This reminds me of the words of a missionary who sent a telegraph to his son who was hospitalized after a racing accident; "The things of this world will soon be past. Only whats done for Christ will last,"

Mark 12

Jesus had been dealing with the Sadducees and Pharisees and Chief priests. He is trying to tell them that they have been entrusted with the things of God and explaining in parables about them taking over the things of the master and not preparing for the master's return. They did not want to pay what they owed, in fact they wanted it all for themselves. It will always eventually turn into that when we do not make God the first priority in all things. The master deceiver will tell us things that make sense but are contrary to the things of God. When we put God first, we begin to see what the Lord wants and things begin to get in the right order. Then the stone that the builders rejected will be your chief cornerstone.

In paying taxes Jesus said "bring me a denarius that I may look at it." Here He would say bring me a quarter. Whose image and inscription is this? Give the government what is due to them. Whose image are we made in? We are to give our life to our creator and He will do a work in us and give us life.

This is by the author of life, the author of redemption and the author of all creation. He has taken care of mankind since the beginning of the world. He loves you immensely and has made provision for you in His kingdom. We don't have to know all the detail, we must know the living God who takes care of every detail. He is alive, well and just as powerful today as ever. Not even a bird drops to earth that He is not aware of. In Matthew 6:26 Jesus says "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" And in Mark 12:27 Jesus says "He is not God of the dead, but of the living. You are quite wrong.”

Jesus answered the greatest commandment question: 29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 'There is no commandment greater than these." Understanding this the way our Lord does, brings us into a true kingdom viewpoint of God's purpose for His world. We then see Jesus instructing us to watch out for those who like importance and seats of honor yet will mistreat widows and make lengthy prayers only for show. we see Him saying the widow,s offering was more than their great showy gifts. We must keep our hearts humble and clean to have the Lord greet our offerings and sacrifice of service as acceptable to Him. That only comes through the cleansing power of Jesus when we confess our sins and pray daily and walk in the light as He is in the light.

Today's Reading; Mark 9

Peter James and John were taken to the mount of transfiguration with Jesus where they saw Him talking with Elijah and Moses. Then they heard God speak and say; "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" They were later told not to tell anyone about this until He had risen from the dead. These three were taken into Christ's inner circle where they experienced great things and heard directly from God the father. They received the instruction to listen to Him. I believe that would change the way they would pray and seek God. We see later in the chapter that power over certain demonic strongholds can only be given through much fasting and praying. Hhhmmmm... gaining power over Satan by humbling ourselves before God in prayer and becoming first by becoming like a child. And what about Jesus knowing what we say without telling Him? Sounds like He really does get personal. He really cares, He really loves you and wants to change our hearts to be like His. Ready to get into the inner circle? Stat praying, listening and obeying and you will be surprised at what God will do next.

Mark 7

In Mark 7 Jesus dealt with where our heart is. We have things that are important to us because of tradition. These things are familiar and become dear to us. We have to guard ourselves to make sure our tradition doesn't get in the way of the way the Lord is working and the things He wants to do in our presence. These things can allow us to remain in disobedience to God. 9-13He went on, "Well, good for you. You get rid of God's command so you won't be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions! Moses said, 'Respect your father and mother,' and, 'Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.' But you weasel out of that by saying that it's perfectly acceptable to say to father or mother, 'Gift! What I owed you I've given as a gift to God,' thus relieving yourselves of obligation to father or mother. You scratch out God's Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this." (the Message)
We should be careful that we check with God and seek His heart on these things. Then Jesus went on to say that out of our heart comes the things stored up in it. The depravity of man takes over in the absence of God in our lives. Gen 6:5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. This is called the depravity of man. When we fill ourselves with the Lord it will take over the thoughts and attitudes of our heart. It is very important we do this especially during trying times in our lives so Satan will not get the best of us.

The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman
24Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret. 25In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil spirit came and fell at his feet. 26The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27"First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

28"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs." 29Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter." 30She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone. (NIV)
Jesus had come for the lost sheep of Israel and He knew that. He did have compassion on others as the Spirit led Him. Today have compassion on someone that is foreign (a challenge) to you and see what God will do. Ask God to open your eyes so you can see Him clearly and follow in service to our Lord.

Matthew 25

In chapter 25 there are three parables. In the story of the three virgins Jesus is telling us to get things ready for His coming. The arrival of Jesus is something we should be anticipating with joyful expectation - like a child expecting Santa.

We then see the story of the talents. We each have been given things to be good stewards of. Time, influence, and understanding are only a few. Are we playing it safe or trusting God to do great things? He will do great things as we trust Him to take us to the next level with Him.

In the story of the sheep and goats we look at the possibility of those we encounter on a daily basis being Jesus. The person out of gas, broken down on the road, at the cash register, or even pushing a shopping cart down the road. How we treat them determines whether we are a sheep or a goat. Jesus will say to us either:
'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why:

I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,
I was shivering and you gave me clothes,
I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.'
37-40"Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?' Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me." (The Message)

How can we truly join the Lord? We will reap the rewards of the walk we were saved to have when we put legs to what He is asking us to do. We begin to truly understand how He works when we begin to exercise our faith. Just like physical exercise, start out slow and build confidence and strength. We each have the time to get ready for Him, the King is coming. Prepare the way for the King. When we intentionally make that a priority for each day is when we can truly get rid of the temporary things that only seem to matter and start doing the things that Jesus says matter. I encourage you to spend some time with the master in prayer over this passage, write down what He tells you then go and do that. You will begin a walk with Him that will be life-changing.

Matthew 18 & 19

When we look at Matthew 18 we sometimes concentrate on the sin. Whether it be selfishness, being respecters of persons or disagreements among brothers the goal of Christ was not to leave us in sin, but to show us how to be Christlike and restored in Him. We are all going to do things wrong. The Holy Spirit's job is to convict of sin and guide us in all truth. When we respond accordingly then we can worship together in Spirit and Truth in the fellowship that Christ desires for His children. Only He can change the thoughts and desires of our heart and bring the experience of true forgiveness in our midst. In 18:12 Jesus says “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray."
There will be rejoicing in heaven when one is rescued and restored (Luke 15:7). I believe all heaven rejoices because Father rejoices. He loves it when we do that, because He loves us (you) very much.

In Matthew 19 Jesus teaches on the condition of our hearts that gives us permission to do things like divorce (1-10) and putting our earthly responsibilities or treasures above the things of the Lord (16-22). According to Charles Stanley, one of the most convicting things we can do is to look where we spend our money. several years ago I was deeply convicted when He taught in that area. It took a while for me to adjust, but Christ kept working and eventually I conceded to let God have more control here. In verse 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
This life's treasures are temporary, the things of heaven are forever. When we understand that Jesus loves to be asked about this and is faithful to answer.
We also see Him place His hands on the children and pray, and bless them. He will do the same for us when we come to Him as a little child (13-15).

Matthew 17

In Matthew 17 we see Peter James and John witnessing great things God was doing. Jesus was transfigured before their eyes. Moses and Elijah joined Him and they talked. What do you think Jesus was doing there? I believe He desired wise counsel and ministering for the impending assignment, He needed time with the Father and His ministers to walk into the presence of God and get strength, empowerment and empowerment from the father. In today's language, He needed to check messages, and spend time with the source of His strength. Peter James and John were changed forever from this experience. Later in the chapter they are asking Jesus why they could not cast the demon out of the young boy 20 So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. 21 However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” This taught them the need for spending time with God.
Spend time worshiping the Father today and we will see great things He will do through you. He has uniquely created you and equipped you to serve in a special way.

Matthew 16

The Pharisees were looking for a sign from God. They would not believe the word of God or of Jesus. They were demanding something that God was not going to do. He wanted them to believe the prophets and the signs that He had already given them - to use their faith. I believe He wants the same from us today, for us to trust Him as His word and spirit prompt. He talked about the condition of the heart as a yeast that spreads through bread. The yeast of Christ is the one that should spread, not the yeast of the one who will lead us into temptation. The disciples had a tendency to think and concentrate on the physical, and revert back to the human thought process of feeding their bodies. Sometimes we all do that.
8 Aware of this, Jesus said, "You of little faith! Why are you discussing among yourselves that you do not have bread? 9 Don't you understand yet? Don't you remember the five loaves for the 5,000 and how many baskets you collected? 10 Or the seven loaves for the 4,000 and how many large baskets you collected? (F) 11 Why is it you don't understand that when I told you, 'Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees,' it wasn't about bread?" 12 Then they understood that He did not tell them to beware of the yeast in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Peter got a lot of things right, confessing Jesus as the Christ as He was willing to listen to the Spirit of God who had revealed it to him. It was something that was congruent with his spirit. Then in the next paragraph Peter fell far short as Jesus told them of His coming death.
22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, "Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to You!" 23 But He turned and told Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me because you're not thinking about God's concerns, but man's."
Many times it's hard to take up our cross and follow Jesus when it's not where we want to go or what is congruent with our idea of the journey. 26 "What will it benefit a man if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done. 28 I assure you: There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

Matthew 15

In Matthew 15 the Pharisees are trying to question Jesus about the way His disciples are eating grains of wheat without washing their hands. They are really calling them unclean by breaking the tradition of their elders. But Jesus calls them clean as He was working in their hearts rather than on their habits. He told His disciples in Mat 15:8 "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 9 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'" We must guard against defining our worship based on tradition rather than concentrating on the creator of our soul. Jesus went on to explain this; Mat 15:17 "Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? 18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man 'unclean.' 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him "unclean.'"
There is a song that's about the heart of worship that says "I'm coming back to the heart of worship, it's all about you, it's all about you Jesus, I'm sorry Lord for the things I've made it, it's all about you, it's all about you Jesus. Sometimes we try to define worship as a certain setting or teacher or preacher that we like when it's really Jesus who we have to open our heart to. He is our teacher. The others are simply buildings or vessels to be used for His purposes and as His servants to teach His children to come into a meaningful relationship with Him. True worship opens our hearts and minds to Him so we can effectively lead others into the presence of God. Take 15 minutes today to spend time with Father God and ask Him what He wants. He is faithful to speak to His children and is excited to be the center of our worship.

Matthew 14

Today's reading starts out with John the baptist being beheaded. Jesus upon hearing this withdrew to a solitary place. When life throws us a curve that grieves us we should withdraw for a time and spend time with our Daddy who is excited to comfort us. We can only comfort others with the comfort we allow God to bring in our life (through Christ our comfort overflows 2nd Corinthians 1:3-7). He didn't stay too long, when He realized they followed Him on foot He went and healed and comforted them.

We also see Jesus doing many miracles, feeds 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish, walks on the water and many are healed by touching His robe. Do you need healing and nourishment today? Reach out and touch Jesus today through prayer and fasting. He says taste in Psalms 34:8 "Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalms 119:103 says "How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"

Happy New Year

Hope New Year’s Eve was good and this New Year opens a new chapter in your life that gains victory over many things that may be bigger than our own ability to overcome. This is an exciting time to face these challenges with the understanding who is on your side. With Christ all things are possible. We will be reading through the New Testament this year. We have read through the entire Bible for the last three years and this year I would like to slow down a little and take some extra time with one chapter a day starting today in John then Matthew and going through the entire New Testament. Please take some time to do this with your family, write notes in your Bible and share with each other. Bring your notes and Bible to the praise service and share with us what God has spoken to you through His word. It will be a great time of sharing and growing in fellowship together.
Today in John 1 Jesus said “You will see even greater things than this.” He promised the disciples they would “see heaven opened and the Angels of God descending on the Son of Man.” We see also where God told John the Baptist who Christ was. Then we see Andrew and Phillip believing John when he pointed out that Jesus was the Messiah. They had a choice to believe him and not respond. Instead they chose to believe and follow Him. That one decision enabled them to experience the things Christ was about to do. We all have many things we can do this year. Clear your slate for Jesus first and you will experience being on mission with the living God, creator of the universe.

Tomorrow I intend to read John 2
Have a GREAT New Year,
Dan, Emily and AOBC Church Family