GIVE LIFE A REST

Sunday, April 6 2014

>>GIVE LIFE A REST ll

(Exodus 31:12-17)

Reading this passage we will come to realize the importance of observing the Sabbath. God designates this day of reflection, meditation, and rest as

early as creation, and practices this act Himself in Genesis 2:23. Of course, God does not need to rest but does so to signify the importance of this practice to all of creation.

In the hectic world we find ourselves in today, it is hard to find alone time for just God and ourselves. We always seem to having a thousand tasks to get to at once. Whether it is school, a career, family, church, or time with

friends; there always seems to be something taking the place of that time with our Creator which is so important.

Verses 12 & 13
In these verses Moses is given a message from the Lord for all of Israel.

“But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely observe My Sabbaths;

for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you.”

Verses 14 & 15

“Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be
put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.”

“For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death.”

God shows us the importance of keeping the Sabbath, going so far to say that to disrespect this decree and to desecrate His holy day of rest is punishable by death. We can tell by this with great assuredness the overwhelming importance of the Sabbath to both God and humankind.

Verses 16 & 17

God has established this day as holy to be a covenant, a lasting bond between God and His creation, for in six days. He made all things from nothing, and on the seventh day He rested to reflect on all He had accomplished, ending one era and beginning another.

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So then, how can we observe the sabbath and remember its importance?

Immobilize
STOP!

Meditate
As we study scripture think about its meaning and how it can be applied in everyday life.

Pray
This is my time to bond with God, 1-0n-1 with the Creator of the Universe!

Offer
Give your tithe, worship, time, etc.

Reflect
How has God helped me this past week?

Thank
Thank God for all He has done.

Ask
How can God help me or someone I know this week?

Note
How could this last week have been better? What can I do to make this week the best it can be?

Trust
God is in control. He will never give me more than I can handle. He will provide me my every need.

Love Transcends and Overcomes

January 6, 2015 at 10:32pm

Two mountains made there places

and sat there where they were raised,

Neither would have guessed there fates

standing stubborn in there ways,

 

Until dawn of one fair day

which did bring them face to face,

Never had they wanted more

to move nearer from their place,

 

With each day they found themselves

welling more, then more anxious,
At once both began to wale
with tears nothing could vanquish,

And as they cried the streams ran
from eyes and down stone faces,
falling cross the rolling lands
and into all low places,

Finally, on one bright night
in the valley the streams collide
Bellow a great globe of white
they made their vows and ties.

The Trouble With Truth...

When did I become the bad guy,
"Keep your mouth shut," they told me,
"and your world will be the sky,"
"Speak the truth you know and keep
It a comfort to your soul inside."
And without a doubt, I did.
And without a doubt, no lies.
I uttered the words to the dead,
But the soul I told won't rise.

Giving Due Credit

     God is known for his powerful history altering works, but God works much more in our lives than we could possibly realize. God is subtle and exact, leaving nothing to chance, letting no detail fall from sight. At Jesus' birth, His only visitors were mere shepherds. Yet by these humble men, these "low of the low," he shared the message of His son's birth with the entire world. He was born in a city the equivalent of Dothan for its day, but from Bethlehem he arose to Jerusalem, Washington DC.
     But this does not even scrape the surface of how much wisdom and careful planning went into the human life of Christ. As Jesus came, He fulfilled hundreds of prophecies written down over five hundred years before his birth. God is in control people. He hasn't left; He is here watching over each and every one of us.

This year, let us reflect on all that God has given to us and how much we have given back to Him. Let us take a little time from our busy holiday schedules, to thank God for all He has done in our lives, give credit where credit is surely due.

What One Finishes Another Begins

     Have you ever felt at a loss, as though no future is written for you, as though one day soon your life will end as abruptly as it began, as though there is no point to strive for, for you will never live to see your goal completed. Like a ghost it haunts me, no day for rest. I can not escape this mindset.
     The future exists no longer. There is only now, and my past to dwell upon. But will i use my experiences, though the path ahead lays unlit. Will I survive; If so, what more will be achieved. The fate of tomorrow, if ever the sun looks well upon it, is our destiny to accomplish. But destiny though written is my choice and yours with me. Together we can write our fate, the fate of humanity, the fate of the Earth.
      If not for our own benefit, then our children's we will strive to the bitter end. For though their face we can not see and what destiny they will write for themselves, we can, if no less, provide them a bright beginning. The future its not here, but the past has been written in stone, and with it the future is paved, a guide and a warning to those who pave a new and better way.

One Man's Perspective on Spiritual Warfare

    

     There is a young boy who attends our church with his mother and sister. This boy has been kicked out of several schools for threatening behavior, some episodes which ended with a visit to the hospital. He is the kindest most well behaved boy I have ever met, but then a darkness comes over him, he goes for blood. He has threatened to kill his mother, sister, and several others, and has attempted to do so on more than one occasion. In these episodes he speaks with the vocabulary and grammar of a grown man.
     Many in our church fear for their own safety. However, I am more concerned with his. This is not the behavior of a child. This is demonic possession.

A Time of New Beginning and Reflection - written to the 2012 graduates of Ashford High School and now to YOU

 This is a time of new beginnings and reflection for all of us.

      We now have the chance to look back at how we got here, the mistakes we made, the influences that shaped our lives, and who we've become; thoughts, habits, standards, beliefs, character, and all.  But in our reflection we should not look for a scapegoat or a party to blame for our downfalls. Instead we should take responsibility for what we all have done.  Though other parties played a role in our resolution to make the mistakes we've made, they are still our own.
      We have now been given an opportunity to decide our future and the influences we are exposed to.  Shaping the future is not just the career chosen but also people, media, education, political influences, and religious beliefs chosen as well.  We are the adults now.  Whether we are aware of it or not, we we are a model of society and an example of how to live for the generation to come.  The next generation will look at us all for answers and influence, and it may not be with a single spoken word. whether we carry on a family name or not, our lineage will live on though those we come in contact with.
      This is our time to reflect and plan the face we will give to our world.  Each and every one of us has a vote.  Our future is not our own, though we call it such.
     We are unaware of the untouched shores the ripples we produce will hit.  How the waves will touch the beaches is a direct consequence of how the ripples of all the stones thrown into the water coincide.  Our stones will influence more land than those which have already sunk to the ocean's floor.  With every new stone, the water rises.  We cannot change the influence of past stones, but our influence will cover their mistakes.