What shall we do when we feel stuck and discouraged? Moses’s transformation from despair to hope shines a light on how all of God’s children can awaken to receive God’s gift of hope in times of difficulty. Even more helpful, Moses points us to the One “greater than” himself who lives in hope and inspires hope. In Christ alone, our hope (a good feeling awakened by embracing God’s plans for the future) is found!
Moses was pleading with God to go with him and Israel on their journey. God relented and said he would not only go with them, but provide for them rest and peace. As with Moses, God provides us with layers of peace. Personally, Relationally, Corporately and Ultimately. And only in God himself can we find the peace and rest we long for!
The compass, map, owner’s manual, Siri and the Bible have this in common – they show the way. Yet, better than a map is a guide. In this 2nd message in our August series entitled, Gifts for God’s Children, we see Moses’ prayer for direction as well as God’s plan to be his and all of His children’s personal guide in this life and the life to come!
Like so many, Moses discovered that God’s presence is God’s greatest gift to God’s children. In His presence God’s children are most like who we were created to be and most capable of bringing glory to God. In this message we consider how to more fully avail ourselves to the gift of God’s presence personally and corporately.
The Bible’s declaration of present and future Redemption is as revolutionary now as it was two millennia ago: God came into this broken creation to begin redeeming it. Redemption has started in us, God’s people, and eventually, it will be completed in us and through us. Our souls and bodies alike will be redeemed. Both the human and sub-human worlds will be redeemed. Redemption is for all of creation!
In Genesis chapter two, God reveals that his intent for the world has always been a symbiotic relationship between human and sub-human creation. Our original occupation was caring for plants and animals to sustain and multiply life for our enjoyment and God’s glory.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is giving insight into how His Kingdom is different than what the audience had known and experienced. In Matthew 6:33, He summarizes the action we must take in light of all these Kingdom Insights: We must seek first the Kingdom of God and God Himself and then respond in faith!
God seems to always get a bad rap. An “act of God” is what we call a horrible disaster. It is a common belief that we better behave or God will strike us down with lighting or hurt us in some way. What if this perceptions were wrong? The Bible (In fact, God Himself In the Bible) sets the record right. God is Good. So, if He is Good, what are the implications for how we live daily.
Starting the series “what am I learning from scripture”, I wanted to say what I have been learning about American culture and the shifts in recent years as I have been outside the country. The core of discipleship is timeless but the techniques used in the past generation must change to capture the bright minds of the future.
Measuring the right things is an essential part of life. In this closing section of Paul’s letter to the Galatian churches we discover what God measures among His people within a local church. While we tend to count a variety of things, what matters to God is His vision for “new creation.”