RENEWING WEDDING VOWS
Some people may wonder why renewing your wedding vows is important. Jerry and I are not the same people who got married nearly 44 years ago. I was 18 and he was 21. We thought we knew what love was all about. We were blessed to be Christians and had the same ideas about marriage being forever and the importance of God and the church to the family. Yet there have been some hard times. It will be good to renew those vows and say to each other, “I may not be the same person but I am a better person who still loves you and wants to marry you all over again!”
Saying these vows can be the beginning of a deeper spiritual walk together in the Lord as you enter a new season in your marriage. It is a serious vow to take as were the original wedding vows.
Some couples may not have been Christians when they first married but now they are and want to really make those spiritual wedding vows to each other.
Invite your family and friends to enjoy this time with you. You must register by April 8 to participate in this ceremony.
Others may want to come to enjoy watching their friends and families take these vows. Please bring snacks,and refreshments for a fellowship time following the ceremony.
P.U.S.H-PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS
As we read through the Bible, we find the most effective prayers are those that were prayed persistently. In the Old Testament Hannah desperately wanted a baby. For many years she prayed and prayed to have a baby. After her prayer was unanswered for years, she did not say, “Well, it must not be God’s will for me to have a baby.” She kept on praying and God gave her a son-Samuel, the mighty prophet.
When Jesus went into the garden of Gethsemane and prayed, “Father I want to do your will, but if it is possible for people to be saved some other way, then let this cup pass from me and let’s do it the other way.” Jesus got off his knees after this prayer only to find he did not have the strength yet to go through it all. So He prayed again. Got up and still found out He did not yet have the strength. So He went back the third time. It was in the third time of P.U.S.H-ing that he received the much needed strength to be able to go thru. He told his disciples, “the hour is near and Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinner, rise for it is time for us to go.”
Praying until something happens is the attitude that says, “No matter how long it takes, or how many times I have to come before God, I will not be denied. I do not believe this is arrogance; it’s Godly hunger. It is about you pushing into God, not about trying to push God into doing something. This is praying to see the hand of God move, not praying for the sake of praying.
Church, are we tempted to give up to soon? What have you given up on because you have not received the answer yet? Now more than ever is it time to-P.U.S.H!!!
A MAN’S GIFT MAKES ROOM FOR HIM
Proverbs 18:16 “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.”
NKJV says this about this verse: “Gift makes room: This gift is not a bribe, but an asset or talent which opens the way. “
Whether your talent or gift is singing, preaching, making money, teaching, computers, administrion, and even sports, God wants to use your ability as a platform for Him. When we dedicate our abilities to God and trust His leadership with our lives, we will stand before “great men.” This means to honor and respect those whom God has placed in authority over you, and He will allow your gift to be noticed. “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps. 37:3
No man can keep you from becoming what God has called you to be. There may be times when the devil tells you that no one will ever notice your capabilities, but God knows and will put you with people who will see your potential. He will use your gifts as a platform to bring Him honor and glory.
It starts with you. Are you willing to submit and honor those who are in authority and trust God to allow them to utilize your gifts? Let your passion be for God, and concentrate on doing your best, and He will cause you to have your heart’s desires.
“My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” James 3:1
One of the things I have noticed during the forty-one years I have been in the ministry is the great number of people “called” to be preachers and teachers.I think there is a vision of a place of recognition and honor associated with presenting the Word of God. Standing in front of people and presenting your ideas has an unquestionable appeal, especially if you enjoy talking.
Sadly, many of the “called” have fallen by the wayside or disappeared into the crowd. The genuine call of God is not measured by “success” (the world’s idea) but by faithfulness. “Be ye faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
Jeremiah was not “successful,” but he was faithful. He never changed the message he received from God in order to gain the approval of the people. True success is being faithful to God’s calling on our lives. Whatever you do, do with all your might as unto the Lord. This applies from the least of these to the greatest.
As a “teacher” of God’s Word, I will have to give an account of what I teach people. This is a sobering thought to me. It is a weighty task not to be taken lightly. Fear and trembling accompany every presentation of God’s words that I give.
The most important thing I must ask myself is,”Have I presented the Truth?”
“Moses was one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor diminished.” Deut. 34:7
Many people associate age with sickness, weakness, and mental deterioration. It was not so with Moses. He was 120 years old and his vision was still good and his body and mind strong. I celebrated birthday number 62 last week and entered into what we call the “social security generation.” I had mixed feelings. I know what the Word said about Moses, and I know what the world says.
All the promises in the Bible are mine. Moses was under the old covenant and had wonderful health and vigor. He just went to be with the Lord. I choose to claim that promise and not what the world offers–sickness, weakness, mental deterioration. I received a beautiful card from Jerry and Denise Adamson that read, “And, in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years!” Lord, let Your life shine through me.
IMPORTANCE OF HONOR IN MARRIAGE
Honor has power. It is to value another person highly, to see them extremely important. You value everything they do. Honor is not earned. It is a gift that is not contingent upon your emotions.
You give honor because you choose to give it and not because it is earned. It is a decision you make. “I choose today to honor my husband/wife because God wants me to honor them.” In honoring them I let them know how valuable they are to me. Honor is giving preference to others by attaching a high value to them–a cherished treasure. The word honor carries with it the meaning of the way you treat royalty. This is necessary to do regardless if they are hard to live with.
How do you honor someone who has not earned your honor? Picture that person as being personally autographed by God. Psalms 139:14 “You are fearfully and wonderfully made.” You look for the good because God instilled His glory into each of us.
It is easy to only see irritating habits, failures, and broken promises. When we see people at their worst, we still show respect and honor.
You decide if someone is valuable. Your feelings will follow. Our feelings follow our beliefs and thoughts. Your beliefs generate thoughts. Thoughts create emotions, and emotions motivate behavior. When you show poeple honor, they will begin to live up to it.
CHURCH LADIES WITH TYPEWRITERS
Since I type the bulletins and from time to time I know you catch my “bloopers”, I decided to let you read some “Bulletin Bloopers” that I did not make. Pastor LaVerne
*The fasting and prayer conference includes meals.
*The sermon this morning: ‘Jesus Walks on the Water.’ The sermon tonight: ‘Searching for Jesus.’
*Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.
*Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say ‘Hell’ to someone who doesn’t care much about you.
*Don’t let worry kill you off–let the Church help.
*Miss Charlene Mason sang ‘I will not pass this way again,’ giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
*For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
*Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
*Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
*A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
*At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be ‘What is Hell?’ Come early and listen to our choir practice.
*Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
*Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
*The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” Acts 16:23-25 (NKJV)
“I can sing in the troubled times, sing when I win. I can sing when I lose my step and fall down again. I can sing cause you pick me up, sing cause your there. I can sing cause you hear me Lord, when I call to you in prayer. I can sing with my last breath, sing cause I know that I’ll sing with the angels and the saints around the throne.” Midnight singing-singing at the worse possible time. It is singing in our darkest hour. It is singing when we must force the song to rise above the circumstances. It is singing from a source unrelated to our present condition. It is not an act, but rather a connection with a source of victory so powerful it cannot be ignored or dismissed as trivial. When we can sing in that kind of atmosphere, those around us can hear. When we “sing.” there is a strain of hope that flows out that will cause “prisoners” to stop and listen. At your midnight hour keep on singing; there is somebody that is listening. You never know what they might hear. You do not have to “sing” in order to “sing”. When you declare the power and Glory of God, you are “singing His praises”.
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