Genesis 16: 1-16; Hagar and Ishmael

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

If nothing else, this is a lesson in discernment. I cannot believe that God thought this was a good idea. Sarai came up with it, and Abram went along with it. If they had both prayed hard about the situation then I'm sure they would have heard God telling them it was a bad idea. We sometimes come up with ideas that are not good, but we somehow manage to convince ourselves that it is what God wants. When you come to a point in your life where a big (or little for that matter) decision must be made, pray hard about it. Talk to God, tell him how you feel about it, and ask him what he wants of you. In all things follow God's will. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
<><

Genesis 15: 1-21; God's Covenant with Abram

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward." Always remember that as we go forth on our journey of faith, and as we go forth to do the work Christ has given us, that we have God with us. The Lord does not tell us to go and believe and work and then stand back to see what happens. No, the Lord is with us on our journey of faith, and the Lord is with us as we go forth to do the work he has called us to do. There are times when it feels like we are alone. But never forget the covenant God made with Abram, 'that he is our shield, our very great reward.' No matter where we go or what we do God is always with us, giving us strength for both our journey of faith and the work he has called us to do. God bless you,

Pastor Josh

<><

Genesis 14: 1-24; Abram Rescues Lot

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"And blessed be God Most High." Melchizedek told Abram to bless the Lord for that had happened. We should remember this as well. God has done so much for us in our lives and sometimes we forget to say thank you. Look around you now, wherever you are. Take in all God has given you, all God has done for you, and take a moment and thank and praise God for all those things. We have all been blessed beyond count; let us remember to take the time to bless the Lord for all he has done for us. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
<><

Genesis 13: 1-18; Abram and Lot Separate

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Let's not have any quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are brothers." It seems there is always fighting going on these days. And we don't need much of a reason to do it. But whatever the cause, I know it is not the will of God for us to be at odds with one another. God's will for us is that we ive in peace and love, remembering the love of Jesus and how he practiced it in his life. When you pray, pray not only for your friends and family, but also for your enemies. In that way we will all get that much closer to living in a world of peace and love. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
<><

Genesis 12: 1-9; The Call of Abraham

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you." When God told Abraham to go, he went. At a moment's notice Abraham left his home, his friends, his family, everything in order to follow the call God placed upon his life. God may not be calling us to leave our homes and families, but God is calling us all to do something. I invite you to spend time discerning what God is calling to do, and I also invite you to be prepared to follow that call at a moment's notice. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
<><

Genesis 11: 1-9; The Tower of Babel

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The ones who were trying to build the tower of Babel were doing so to make themselves like God. They wanted to make a name for themselves and serve themselves. They forgot that our first call, as children of God, is to serve the Lord. We have a lot of things in today's world, and we sometimes use those things to serve ourselves. We, too, sometimes forget that we are to serve the Lord with our whole life. Let us never forget, no matter how much we have made for ourselves, to serve the Lord. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
<><

Sunday Scripture and Sermon for April 27, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from 1 Peter 3:13-22, which talks about our sufferings and fears and how they should not slow us down in our journey of faith or in our ministry. The sermon title is 'WhyBother' and will focus on why we bother with this thing called faith. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
<><