 While it's not a word used a bunch, it still appears from time to time, life after a sneeze when we say, "God bless you." Or someone on social media will post something good and use similar to, "it was such a blessing." But what do the words BLESS or BLESSED or BLESSING actually mean?
As the Princess Bride once proclaimed, "I do not think it means what you think it means". It's normal to associate BLESSED or BLESSING with something good or comfortable or pleasant that has happened to us. So then it would stand to reason that anything painful or hurtful would be the opposite of BEING BLESSED. This week we're going to begin a 4 part series looking at to understand what God's Blessing on our life looks like, beginning with the time Jesus was in a room full of people and he told them God's Favor was now revealed. And they lost it. None to pleased were they. Read the story here and look for how ticked off people were. If I were to ask you to for the month of November to keep track of God's Blessings on your life, could you do it? What if I would to ask you to make a list of all the ways God's Favor is on- would the lists be different or the same? Let me get you started- How has God Favored You?
Jesus came with one mission- to let you & I know that He is for us & not against us. The Blessed Life - Living in God's Joy. See you on Sunday Friend. Pastor Mike
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 You know the most frightening words known to man? "Some assembly required." Yikes!
But on a serious note, fear is real. As we approach Halloween next week there's a lot of scary costumes out there. There's scary music. And then the stuff of life scares us. Is there anything that scares you? Some of the top fears people have... Fear of public speaking. spiders & snakes. Fear of heights. I have a good friend that is afraid of needles. You know what else is scares people? That we can't trust people in government. That we or someone we love would get caught up in a mass shooting. That we'd get very sick and not be able to pay our medical bills. All very real concerns. One day some of Jesus friends got caught in a bad spot. It scared them a lot. You can read it for yourself here. After getting Jesus to help, he then asked them an honest question. He asked them why they were so afraid? Didn't they trust Him? May I offer you a couple things to consider if there is a specific thing you're dealing with? *Remember that Jesus is with you. Isaiah 41:10 promises us that God is with us, so we do not have to live in fear. In fact in this verse the Lord makes the following promises to those who belong to Him.
I don't know who will be reading this that needs to be reminded of this awesome truth. Jesus said, Do not let your hearts be afraid, you believe in God the Father, believe also in Me. He is for you. Let go of what scares you as you trust in the arms of Jesus who carries you along! See You on Sunday Friend! - Pastor Mike PS - Memorize Isiah 41:10 & Psalm 21:1 this week. Then look for someone you can encourage!  Often in sports there will be a player who missed the catch. The announcers will say, "Oh he took his eye off the ball". When that happens, in whatever sport one is playing, nothing good happens.
Do we find ourselves taking our eye off the ball, so to speak, in our faith? Paul wrote to the Colossian church and in essence told them to keep their eye on the ball. To keep their focus on Jesus and His Kingdom. To set our hearts on things above where Jesus is, is how Paul phrased it. To set our minds on things above. To let our relationship with Jesus drive our decisions here on earth. Easier said than done, and exactly how?
Paul said that as we focus more on Jesus and living to expand his kingdom, our priorities and values will shift. Towards heaven. And that's a good thing as people here on earth will be drawn to Jesus through the reality of Him living in you! Til Sunday friend, Keep Looking Up. Keep Your Eyes on Jesus! Pastor Mike PS- Take a stab at memorizing Colossians 3:1 with me this week!  I'm not sure many parents enjoy when their kiddo throws a fit! Few parents I know willingly go looking for a fight with their kid, but it happens right? We do or say something and our child gets mad. Depending on the age of the child it might cause us to snicker, or scream.
God gives us some parenting tips. We read here that Paul advised dads specifically, though the thought definitely applies to moms and dads, to not provoke our kids, unless they lose heart and become discouraged. The meaning of the word "provoke" is something like stirring a smoldering fire in order to bring it back to a blaze. It's to poke, to prod but continual actions. So how might this work with our kids? How do parents stir their kids to anger? Consider the following:
SOOOOO.... What might help? On Sunday we'll go deeper but for now let me remind all of us parents and grandparents that TIME SPENT with our KIDS is the greatest gift we can give. LOVE is spent TIME. Somewhere along the way we've begun to ask, Is it quality time or quantity time? And the answer is YES. Every healthy parent I know wants their kids to succeed. To thrive. To do better than they have done. So does our Lord Jesus. This all begins by nourishing their hearts, feeding their hearts, in the things of Jesus. In the wisdom of life. Hope to see you Sunday friend either in person or online! 9:33am. Pastor Mike  See if this resonates with anyone you know...
What everyone usually gets is a grunt, shrug and heaping dose of "I'm not sure- what do you think?" How do we win at Home? Paul gave some timely & applicable principles on how marriage and home life can be something like a shelter in the storm, rather than a boxing match to be avoided. On a tombstone found in New England were these words: "Beneath these stones there does lie, Back to Back my husband and I. When the last trumpet the air shall fill, If he gets up, I think I'll just lie still." Our Lord wants so much more for our marriages but why do so many Christian marriages seem to fall short? We'll look at this and how we can do better! Invite a friend to come sit with you! See You Sunday friend! Pastor Mike |
AuthorStonebridge Community Church is a Bible-based non-denominational church located in Dardenne Prairie, Missouri. Archives
January 2025
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