Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. We as children of God have so much to rejoice about. Just the fact that you have the eye sight and ability to read this message is something to rejoice about! Today we are going to eat well from the truth of the book of Romans, chapter 12.
Today’s Prayer
(Today’s prayer is one that was sent to me and I’m sharing it with you so you can make it yours.)
Dear Lord, as we search for answers to our problems, we ask how we can acquire faith. Open our eyes to see that we can not live without faith! … A sixteen year old girl* wrote these lines in 1956: “We hold a cup of salt water in our hands, and then we are told that beyond the beach lies the Atlantic Ocean — incredible! … We hear someone plunk the middle-C note, and then we are told that Beethoven wrote symphonies — unbelievable! … We see purple and blue oil paint oozing from a tube, and we are told that Monet painted water lilies — amazing! … Love, compassion, forgiveness, all of our encounters with man, and with God, give us only a hint of the nature of God’s totality. Faith is the determined and desperate will to believe that there are painters when we have seen only the paints; that there are symphonies when we have heard only one note; that there are oceans when we have observed only one cup of water!” Oh Lord, why is it so hard to believe in You as Creator of our universe — our world? … “Show me how to let my life open up for faith — wide enough for the sky to fall in, full of You.”**
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen.
Let’s eat.
A Living Sacrifice to God
Romans 12
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.” Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
Quote of the Day
We must get rid of the pestilent, deadly notion that the amount of things we get through is the standard. The steadiness with which we radiate God is the standard.
Evelyn Underhill
WITH HOPE AND FAITH
REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
FOUNDER
GCKRS HELPING HAND FOUNDATION – THE RELATIONSHIP FACTORY
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