Thursday, March 10, 2011
Doing Good
Sunday, February 20, 2011
My Sermon
What’s The Next Step?
John 6; 28-40
Good morning everyone,
I was just reading John 6; 28-40 and it really made me think about what our next step is as a congregation. Verses 28 and 29 are talking about how many sincere seekers there are for God, and that are puzzled about what he wants all of them to do, and sadly all the other religions of this world are certain people’s attempts to answer this question: “What is the next step?” “Where do we go from here?” Jesus’ reply is very brief and simple: We must believe in the person that God has sent to us whether it is a boy or girl because Jesus was the one whom God sent to us to know his truth and what he’s talking about. We are trying to pull people in closer to Jesus, not scare them away. We want as many people saved as possible, because hell is very hot and I’m pretty sure that nobody wants to go there. It’s awful. I know that I wouldn’t want to go there; I’d rather be with Jesus and not Satan. I prefer to live my life the way that God wants me to live it, no matter how difficult any of the tasks are. I will do what his will is for me. I am not scared, because I know that Jesus is always with me whether it is day or night. He’s the one who raises me up, when I am down. He is my shoulder to cry on. Because of the Lord, I am strong and can do anything with God on my side. He’s the one that’s fighting the war for us. In addition to this, satisfying God does not come from the work that we do, but from whom we believe in. The first step involves accepting that Jesus is exactly who he says he is. All of our spiritual development is built on this very affirmation. We all must declare in a prayer to Jesus, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God,” and embark on a life of belief that is satisfying to your Creator!
Verse 35 is saying that the people eat the bread to satisfy their physical hunger and to sustain their physical life. We can satisfy our spiritual hunger and sustain spiritual life only by the right relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. It’s no wonder he calls himself the bread of life. But the bread must be eaten to give life, and Christ must be invited into our daily walk in order to give us our spiritual life. I don’t know about you all, but I am very glad that I’ve let Jesus into my life. To me it seems easier when we have the Lord in our lives. He’s the one who makes our lives breathable every single day, no matter how difficult the day turns out to be. I’ve had my fair share of very trying days, as I’m sure you all have experienced those days as well. Nobody ever said that following Jesus would be easy. Nothing worthwhile is ever easy, trust me, I know from experience. When we make mistakes we just need to make sure that we learn from them and try not to do it again. As a matter of fact, we should stay far away from that, it just leads us to much more trouble than we need to be in. God wants us to stay on the path to righteousness, so that we don’t suffer for all eternity. Verses 37 and 38 are saying that Jesus did not work independently of God; instead he works in union with God. This gives us even more reason to be assured that we are more than welcome to be invited into his holy presence and to be protected by him and only him always, for the rest of our lives. Jesus’ purpose was to do the will of God, and not to satisfy our own human desires. When we follow Jesus and only Jesus, we should have the same exact purpose for being down here on earth. Jesus was the one who put us all here in the first place and that reason is to fulfill his purposes only. We do not belong to this place; we belong to Jesus and only Jesus. We are heirs to his kingdom in heaven, but first we need to have our lives centered on Jesus and only Jesus. We need to resist all of our temptations as humans and do what is pleasing to Jesus, even though it may be difficult at times, but when it’s done with, it will be more than worth it, believe me, I’ve gone through a lot to get where I am today in my walk with Jesus. Jesus has completely changed my life forever. It is amazing to me how Jesus can change someone or something so much in a matter of days, hours, months, and even years. Our God is an Awesome God! He’s always working behind the scenes in each of our lives, even though some of us don’t see it yet, but you will, it just takes time, everything takes time. It is not on our time, but on Jesus’ time for things to begin to unravel for the future. You just need to have faith and to have full trust in God; after you do that, God will take care of the rest. Remember: “He is for us and not against us.” “With God on our side, nothing is impossible.” “If God is for us, then who can be against us?”
Verse 39 is telling us that Jesus said he would not lose even one person that the father has given to him. We are his sheep and he is our shepherd. We must always stay near him and never drift away from him. For anyone who makes a sincere commitment to believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior will be secure in all of God’s promises for our eternal lives that will hopefully be spent with him in heaven where we’re all supposed to belong, but sadly some of us don’t belong there, we belong elsewhere and it isn’t pleasant, trust me. I feel like throughout my life I’ve been there, and sometimes I still feel like I’m there. However, these are only minor stepping stones to get where you’d actually rather be. Our life down here is only temporary, and although a lot of the time we feel as if it’s permanent, it’s not, believes me. Also a lot of the time I feel like the world is against me, even though it’s not. It feels as if the weight of the whole world is on your shoulders, but it’s not. The truth is, the entire weight of the world is on God’s shoulders, not ours. That is why we have to keep putting the weight back on his shoulders, because we tend to want to take the weight of the world on ourselves and we can’t handle it. But please don’t fret because God is already working on making this world a better place to be in. He’s working on it as we speak. So stop worrying, and know that God has already taken care of it. Anyway, Christ will not let his people be overcome by Satan and let them lose all of their salvation. Verse 40 says that those who put all of their faith in Jesus will be resurrected from physical death to your eternal life with God when Christ comes again and it will be soon. So, we all have to be ready and prepared for his arrival. He will come like a thief in the night, so be aware of all your surroundings. He can come at any moment of any day. Now is the time for us to put all of our differences aside and work together as a church family pulling more and more people in closer to God. They need to know that Jesus loves them and doesn’t want them to suffer any more than they already are. It is not too late to come to know God. “Come to me all you who are weary.” He’s ready and waiting, so come on don’t let anything or anyone stop you. You can do it. “I can do all things through he who strengthens me.” “We all must walk by faith, and not by sight.” In conclusion, I believe, with my whole heart, that everyone can believe in God and Jesus, if they choose to let Him into their hearts, minds, bodies, and souls. I see the proof of our work in every new person that joins our congregation with an open mind and an open heart. Jesus can and will perform miracles every day, and I believe that if we believe in him wholeheartedly, that our congregation will grow by leaps and bounds, and with that our vision to spread the word of Jesus far and wide will be realized. May God bless you all, and Have a good day. Amen!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Heart Break and Worry
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Why Does Life and Love Have to be so Complicated?
~Emily j. Pica
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Where To Go From Here.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
100 Things...
2.) Jesus because he's my rock and salvation.
3.) My sister because she's been with me throughout everything (including all of my very bad decisions).
4.) My parents because of all that they do for me.
5.) Jacqui because she's the greatest best friend anybody could possibly ask for, even though we barely see each other. But I miss her dearly and hope to see her again really soon. She's been with me through all the good times and bad and would do anything for me no matter the day or time.
6.) For Ted because he can fix anything and everything.
7.)Matt because he's helping me through all this and for being such a good friend to me in such a small amount of time.
8.) For Mike because he brought me closer to Jesus.
9.) Oden
10.) My church because of all they're love and support for both my family and I in this very difficult time of our lives.
11.) My Pastor for everything.
12.) My sweet, perfect, little nephew, Eliot Theodore Baker for bring such love and happiness into my otherwise boring life.
13.) For Melissa for all her prayers and for her strength.
14.) Nature Photography.
15.) My Camera.
16.) Texting.
17.) e-mails.
18.) my computer.
19.) My job.
20.) My car (even though I don't drive it that much).
21.) Good christian music.
22.) Facebook for staying in touch with all of my friends both old and new.
23.) My cell phone.
24.) For my aunt Janine.
25.) For nana and papa.
26.) For grandma and grandpa.
27.) For Aunt Fran.
28.) Paper and pens.
29.) vacations.
30.) Massages.
31.) For prayer.
32.) My Bible.
33.) For washers and dryers that work.
34.) My glasses.
35.) Holidays (Christmas especially).
36.) Birthdays.
37.) Any and all board games.
38.) Clothing.
39.) Shoes.
40.) A bed to sleep in.
41.) A roof over my head.
42.) Health insurance.
43.) All doctors, nurses, etc. (Dentists, therapists).
44.) Scrapbooking.
45.) Many many good memories.
46.) My class of 2006 blanket because it's proof that I attended high school.
47.) Skype.
48.) Internet.
49.) Online classes.
50.) A good hair cut from a good stylist.
51.) New beginnings.
52.) Romance movies.
53.) Nicely fitting undergarments.
54.) Hot chocolate (so good).
55.) Iced Coffee from Dunkin Donuts.
56.) All of our troops fighting for our freedom.
57.) Advil, Albuterol. (Any and all meds.).
58.) Poems.
59.) Ramen noodles (aka. oodles of noodles).
60.) Sandwiches.
61.) Diet pepsi and cream soda.
62.) Chocolate (love it!)
63.) Christmas movies.
64.) Lots of laughs.
65.) True love.
66.) Happiness.
67.) Peace.
68.) Joy.
69.) Marriage proposals.
70) lgmh.com
71.) Weddings.
72.) For the colors, pink and purple.
73.) Singing.
74.) Dancing.
75.) Miracles.
76.) Blessings.
77.) Warm weather.
78.) Sunsets.
79.) Sunrises.
80.) All animals.
81.) Warm slippers.
82.) The English language.
83.) Jewelry that has sentimental values included.
84.) Beautiful flowers.
85.) For the bus.
86.) Acts of random kindness.
87.) Independence.
88.) For summer strolls.
89.) For beaches.
90.) For the strength to carry on.
91.) Forgiveness.
92.) For life's winding roads ( which is always a challenge, but well worth it in the end).
93.) For good manicurists.
94.) For honesty.
95.) For loyalty.
96.) For faithfulness.
97.) For religion.
98.) For good manners and respect.
99.) For being able to swim without fear.
100.) For fellow christians.
101.) For alarm clocks because I always need them.
102.) For praise reports.
103.) For magazines.
104.) Having the ability to read and understand certain things.
105.) For my sister once again for challenging me to think about all these things that I am forever thankful and greatful for. God Bless all! AMEN! Now it's your turn to think about this.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Our Debt To Pay
I was just reading Romans 13: 8 and it really helped me with this inspiration to write this blog entry. Verse 8 says Why is love for others called debt? We are permanently in debt to Christ for the lavish love he has poured out upon us. The only way we can even begin to repay this debt is by fulfilling our obligation to love others in return. Since Christ's love will always be infinitely greater than ours, we will always have the obligation to love our neighbors as ourselves. So, during this past week in California, I received a nail from Sheila Schuller. This nail is a sign for a definite new beginning and definite new life. This nail is proof that Jesus is still alive today and loving all of us unconditionally. He paid for all of our debt and that remains true to us christians today. We need to continue to remain true to God and true to ourselves. We must all keep our promises and fulfill them as we should anyway. We need to change our ways drastically. There are certain people out there, who still haven't changed their ways at all whatsoever and they desperately need to. As soon as they do, they are promised eternal life with God and his son, Jesus. When in California, I realized how beautiful God's creations are. I spent a lot of time taking in all of the scenes. There was also a lot of time spent thinking through everything. With realization, there's a certain someone that I really miss spending time with. But sadly, things won't work out between us. So, yeah it's time to move on to bigger and better things. There's many good memories involved with this certain person. Well,May God Bless him greatly because he really deserves it! Anyway, sorry to get off track here, lets get back to the main subject of this blog, which is Debt. This question is constantly running through my mind. Why is love for others called a debt? Well the answer to that is this, sadly there are certain people in this world who lack love for others which is quite sad actually. Even though God loves us all unconditionally, I can imagine how sad it is for God to see so many people in this world, not acting and loving the way they should. Honestly,I wish that tons of people would come to God because God can really change their lives instantly, they just need to let God in first, and after that's done, God takes care of the rest. We all must fully rely on God, Depend on God, and Lean on God for everything happening whether good or bad in our lives because God is the one responsible for every little thing happening in our lives. Actually, it's mainly God and ourselves being held responsible for these things happening in our lives. Life is not always fun and it's not always easy, but no matter how good or bad things get, God will always provide and will always help. It may not always be on time, but trust in the Lord and things will work out. It's sad seeing so many people walking around all stressed out and anxious for no reason at all. There truly is no reason for us to be walking around all stressed out and anxious. If we have God, then everything's going to be okay. So, we shouldn't have to be worried and whatnot especially about the littlest things going on in life. If things don't work out the way we wanted them too, then we shouldn't be mad, we should be glad because God has something bigger and better planned for all of us, God's way always makes things better than any of us could have ever imagined! So, we should be thankful and praising the Lord for all that he's doing for us! This is the day that the Lord has made, so let us rejoice and be glad in it! Keep smiling because you never know who is the one falling in love with your smile. To close this blog entry, I'd like you all to say a prayer of thanksgiving with me "Dear Lord, we'd like to thank you for all that you've done for us and will continue to do for us, none of us deserve it, but because you love us, we are worthy to receive your blessings and many gifts that you have for us. We are worthy to be in heaven with you, we are all of great value to you. Thank you, Lord we love you Amen and Amen!" May God bless you all forever and ever, Amen.