During the worship time of our staff devotions, my friend Brad shared for a moment about how when he woke up he was not looking forward to leading worship this morning. The words of the song he led us in brought about a change in his attitude though. God wants us to worship Him because He deserves it. Even if we don’t want to, He deserves our utmost attention and praise, so we are compelled to worship Him. It’s not about us.
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God deserves our worship
picture of grace
“Mercy doesn’t care what you’ve done.” If that’s not a perfect picture of God’s grace, I don’t know what is. You’re failures don’t void His mercy in your life, and your greatest successes can never earn it. I heard this song on the radio this past week and it’s been in my head and on my heart ever since. The lyrics scream with amazing images of God’s grace and mercy.
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trick or treat
I heard this week that Halloween has become one of the biggest holidays in America, second only to Christmas. What is the big deal about October 31 that gets everyone so hyped up? Sure, there’s a ton of candy, but there is more to this time of year than carving pumpkins and dressing up in costumes.
So what is Halloween all about?
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underestimated grace
It is only by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ that we are given salvation. So many times this grace is underestimated by us and we find ourselves trying to obey every law and do everything we can do to secure our salvation. We continue to say we are saved by grace but act like our works play a part in it. This attitude can bring us to a point of feeling like we are not growing closer to our Savior. Check out this simple quiz you can take from the author of The Naked Gospel, Andrew Farley, who calls this condition “Obsessive Christianity Disorder.”
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choosing to love
Thinking about love, thoughts of emotions and feelings are the first things that come to mind. When you say I love you, you usually mean I have affection for you or care about my relationship with you. To truly show love, there needs to be a better definition first.
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desires of the heart
Everyone has at least one deep desire. This deep desire is often related to either finding a spouse, having a child, or what you feel “called” to do. I’m sure you have heard that God will give you the desires of your heart as long as you are in Him and you can even find where it says that in the Bible, “He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4b (NIV)
The problem is that too often we get tired of waiting on God to fulfill our desires.
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one match… wildfire
It’s hard to make it out sometimes. Everyone sees it differently. Some might say it’s absolute and set in stone only to find that others find it to be relative to specific situations. What I’m talking about is the line that is sometimes crossed between what should and shouldn’t be said in conversation. What might be an appropriate conversation between friends might not be the best use of language in front of a larger group of people.
There are public speakers and even preachers who choose to use crude language in their speeches and sermons. They use excuses like wanting to meet people where they are or relate to their situation. Preachers might even quote the apostle Paul, saying they want to be “all things to all men so that they might save a few.” It’s just as easy to proof-text the other way from the book of James saying that those teachers will be “judged more strictly” and his tongue “corrupts the whole person.”
opposition
If you line up with God’s mission to the Church to further His Kingdom (Matthew 28:19, Acts 1:8), you will inevitably face opposition. Whether it be physical ailments, mental obstruction, or spiritual second guessing, The enemy will do anything to try to disrupt the work of God in and through us.
character
Father, I want to be known by Your character. Your ways are not my ways, nor are they the ways of the world. Unfortunately, my ways tend to lean more towards those of the world rather than Your ways. I am sadly nothing more than a mirror smeared with black paint, reflecting a distorted view of Your character most of the time.
Lee Strobel
This past weekend was huge at North Way Christian Community. Not only did Lee Strobel kick off a new series but we also soft launched our Sewickley Valley Campus. We have one more soft launch next week and the grand opening at Osborne Elementary is in two weeks. If you live in the area, I want to encourage you to check it out.
I’ve embedded the video of Lee Strobel’s sermon here in case you missed it. Continue Reading…