Bulletin Thought

A Thought from Pastor Bryson,

A Page of Example

(Source – Give Us This Day / Devotional Guide by Henry Brownlow)

Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men.

                                                                                                                               II Cor. 3:2

There are four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and the fifth is You, which is the one read most by your associates.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,

Are read by more than just a few.

But the one that is most read and commented on

Is the gospel according to You.

You are writing a gospel, a chapter each day,

By things that you do and words that you say,

Men read what you write, whether faithless or true,

Say, what is the gospel according to You?

Is it love?  Is it forgiveness?  Is it helpfulness?  Is it fairness?  Is it truthfulness?  Is it ethics?  Is it kindness?

Is it courtesy?  Is it tolerance?  Is it Bible Study?  Is it church attendance?  Is it sacrifice?  Is it clean speech?  Is it unselfishness?  Is it bigness?

These qualities will make you an effective living epistle, admired and loved by those who read you.  And read you, they will!

A page of example is worth a book of preach.

A Thought from Pastor Bryson,

“Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”

                                                                                                                                      (Psalm 133:1)

Unity, in our world today filled with so much strife, unity is often hard to find.  Our government is torn apart by partisanship, families are torn by strife, colleagues are in heated debate about one thing or another, even houses of worship have become hostile territory.  But, if we regain our focus, unity is possible.

One key word to note in Psalm 133:1 is the word “brethren.”  We need to recognize our kinship as brothers and sisters in Christ and realize that it is God’s will that we live in harmony with one another.  The Life Application Bible has this commentary note on Psalm 133:1-3:

David stated that harmony is pleasant, precious, and refreshing.  Unfortunately, harmony does not abound in the church as it should.  People disagree and cause division over unimportant issues.  Some seem to delight in causing tension by discrediting others.  Harmony is important because: (1) it makes us a positive example to the world and helps draw others to us (Him); (2) it helps us function as a body of believers as God meant us to, giving us a foretaste of heaven; (3) it is renewing and revitalizing because there is less tension to sap our energy.  Living in harmony does not mean we will agree on everything…But we agree on our purpose in life – to work together for God… (Italize mine)

Let us remember, we are bound together by our common faith in Jesus Christ.  His Spirit abides in us and God is love, therefore, we are to love one another and strive to dwell together in harmony.  In doing so we become a living testimony to the power of God’s love and His presence in us – with the hope that others will be drawn to the Christ.

We would do well to follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi, an excerpt from his prayer – Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.  Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy…

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

The above verse is one of my favorite verses in the Bible.  It simply says that God loves us in spite of our messed up selves and He proved His love for us by sending Jesus to die for us.  Jesus died for us while we were still sinners.

I think that many tend to miss that point – otherwise people would not say “I’ve got to get myself together before I come to the Lord.”  The Bible plainly states, “While we were still sinners – messed up, living in disobedience to God, not thinking straight, Christ died for us.”

Just think for a moment, if the Lord loved us enough to die for us while we were still sinners, how much more will He love us once we enter into a relationship with Him as our Savior?  You would think He couldn’t love us anymore because giving His life was such a price to pay for our salvation.  But, while we were sinners, sin separated us from God, but still He loved us in spite of.  But once we accept Him as Savior, I believe His love for us is even more because now sin no longer separates us from God.

He grows closer to us through His Spirit who now lives in us, especially as we walk in humble submission to Him as Lord.  God loves us.  I John 3:1 states – “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God!”  God loves us so much He could have come down from the cross, but He didn’t, He died, now that’s love as the song says.

I encourage you to slow down, stop for a moment.  Find you a quiet place and just think about God’s love for you.  Think about all He has done and is doing for you and realize it’s because He loves you.  He loves you flaws and all.  God loves you.  Once you come to the understanding that God loves you in spite of all that might be wrong in your life, I believe you will experience a certain joy knowing that Almighty God loves you.  I know I do.  I rejoice in knowing that I’m loved by God.

Because He loves us He will see us through whatever it is we might be going through.  As a result of God loving us in spite of us, it only makes sense that we love Him in return.  He has proved His love for us through Jesus dying on the cross and He proves His love everyday by the blessings we enjoy.

So stop trying to get yourself right, you can’t.  Remember God loves you and when you open your heart to Him He will work in your life – getting and keeping you on the right path, because He loves you…

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Galatians 6:7-8 NKJV)

Praise be to our great and awesome God who has allowed us to see the beginning of a brand New Year! This is the first day of our journey into unchartered territory.

As we make our journey into the New Year, let us remember the principle of sowing and reaping. Perhaps a practical way of saying it is that if don’t sow any seeds in the ground, you won’t get any crops. If we are expecting to receive good things this year, we must be careful what kind of seeds we’re sowing.

The Bible plainly declares we reap what we sow. In other words, we can’t expect to grow spiritually if we’re not doing those things that will make for spiritual growth. Here are some examples of bad sowing that will hinder spiritual growth:

• Inconsistent reading and studying of the Bible.
• Inconsistent prayer life.
• Willfully sinning, living disobediently before God.
• Harboring ill will toward others.
• Having an ungrateful heart or attitude.
• Disrespect for God and others in our daily living.

Come on now, how in the world can we expect to grow spiritually if we’re practicing those things?

On the other hand, if we sow good seeds, then we can expect a spiritual harvest that will bless us and draw us closer to God leading us to eternal life. Obviously, sowing good seeds involves the opposite of what is listed above. It is important to have the understanding that sowing good seed does not make us immune from all the problems of life, but at least the problems we encounter will or should not be self-inflicted.

If we don’t sow good seeds then we are setting ourselves up for problems somewhere along the way. The problems may show up early on our journey or they may appear later in life. Let us remember the principle of sowing and reaping is true – you do eventually reap what you sow.

The harvest we reap in 2012 will depend on the seeds we have sown along the way.