When Did We See You?

When Did We See You?

          This sermon, preached by Greg Ralston, came just after he spent time with his parents, helping his mother move into a nursing home. It allowed him to remember the commandments about honoring our parents, and how we treat each other is how we want to be treated. His daughters tease him about, “Be nice to me. I will choose your nursing home.”

          In Matthew 25:31-36 Jesus talks about heaven and how The Son of Man, Jesus, will separate those that really knew God, from those that just said they did.  Some come feeling certain they will be recognized right away. But God doesn’t know them.  Others God know does know immediately. Why?

He tells them they gave Him water when He was thirsty, food when He was hungry, clothes and a home when needed. The others did not. Both were confused. Jesus said whenever you have done these things for someone in need, you have done it for me.

This made me think what would we do if we truly saw Jesus in the sick bed, on the street destitute, or in prison? Maybe we would act quicker, think about it less, and reach out more. 

Contentment

Contentment

          This day’s sermon, by Evan Westburg, was from Psalm 30 and contained a prayer to be content. For us not be so poor that we are worried and distracted from God. Yet not too rich that we forget our need for Him.  

          How do we get there? What is too rich, too much? Is the list of food, shelter, entertainment, comfort, friends and family in our lives, enough? If you do have the above and more, there are others around the world that wouldn’t even rise to, enough.  Maybe we could share as much, and as often, as we can.

          If we are struggling to have enough, we need to not let these worries distract, but allow it to teach us to keep going, even in fear. I lived for two weeks in a poor village in Thailand last year. There they had no kitchen sinks. They washed dishes in the yard with a hose. They had little furniture, sleeping, eating, and sitting on the floors. Chickens and dogs wondered in the streets. My friend Moses lived in a one room bamboo hut with his family of nine people, sleeping on the floors. Yet both he and his sister shined with the love of Jesus. Both were content. 

          Pray this prayer with me from Psalms 30:7-9:

Two things I ask of you Lord: do not refuse me before I die. Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, “Who is the Lord?” Or I may become poor and steal and dishonor the name of my God.   

Generousity

Generosity

          This sketch came from two sermons on generosity. The first was preached by Evan Westburg, the second by Greg Ralston. The words in the picture tell the sermons. Fear keeps us from being able to give freely. We need to let go of the worries, “the what if’s?” and the questions of “what about me?”  Those fears cause us to hold our possessions with a death grip. They keep us from receiving the joy of being able to trust God, and having the privilege of blessing another.

          Here are the verses that are printed inside the word “Generosity.” Mark 12, Matthew 57:30, Psalm 50, 1 John 3:18, John 18:6, Acts 44-47, Psalm 24. These references help us understand several points. That God already owns it all but grants us the honor of being able to return a portion back to Him.  They show that God desires for us to be a giving and generous people. Not to show how great we are but to shine the light back to His Glory.