Give all praise to God for who He is; God all by HIMSELF. I’m sure that I have shared this message or something similar over the years. Let the message of the day bless you.
Today’s Prayer
Hello Father! I was just listening to some birds sing beautiful songs, feeling the cool and gentle breeze, looking at the tender leaf buds on trees that are getting ready to burst forth in the springtime that we have before us, and smelling the fresh scent of rain in the cloudy sky. I thought of how raindrops are like the Holy Spirit. I know it may sound crazy at first, But clear drops of rain, falling from the sky bring living water and refreshment to the earth. Similarly, the Holy Spirit comes down from heaven to bring living power and refreshment to Christians. Thank You, God, for sending the Comforter to be with us, to guide and convict us, to give us the power to live a life that is pleasing to You, to “seal us until the day of redemption.” God, we want to tap into that power and live life to the fullest, in the plan You have for us. Help us, please and thank You. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Let’s eat.
Knowledge + Action = Faith
For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith. – Hebrews 4:2
The bible tells us that the people of Israel were called out of the bondage of Egyptian slavery. God said they would be brought out of 400 years of slavery so that they might worship Him. God desired to bring them into a place of milk and honey – the Promised Land. Yet that generation never entered into the Promised Land. Why? They never took what they knew in their head and transferred it to their heart. Finally, it never resulted in actions that were based on what they believed.
A few years back I heard an illustration from a Pastor friend of mine of what belief and faith looked like when combined. If you were a trapeze artist and were skilled at walking across tightropes over high places, you might even be willing to walk across Niagara Falls. In fact, I would have confidence that you could because I had seen your abilities as a trapeze artist. However, if you asked me if you could push me in a wheelbarrow across Niagara Falls, you would be challenging me to put my beliefs into action. This requires faith, participation, and risk, which, until now, was based only on mental agreement.
The writer of Hebrews is telling us that if we believe God but do not enter in to those promises, we are like the man who chooses not to get into the wheelbarrow. If we don’t act on our beliefs, then we remain in the desert like the people of Israel who never received God’s promises. They did not combine what they knew in their head with a faith that was put into action.
Has God spoken to you about an area in your life that requires a step of faith? Let Him provide the courage, as He does the knowledge, to act in faith on what you believe. Take some time today and meditate on what you have just read. You will find out a lot about the amount of faith you really have.
Quote of the Day
Wonder is a deep, profound experience. The typical secular education of our day makes us suspicious or callous to wonder. It seems so unscientific, so unsophisticated, and ultimately, so seemingly unnecessary. So they say. But to lose the sense of wonder is to lose one of the great beauties of life. Worship, on the other hand, exercises our sense of wonder. It helps us see things and hear things and feel things that not everyone recognizes. Worship, in essence, is wonderful.
Hughes Oliphant Old
WITH HOPE AND FAITH
REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
FOUNDER
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