Volume 2023: Edition 19
Food for thought: A Simple Choice
Hello everyone, and welcome back. We would like to thank you for your patience with the inconsistency of our posts this year as we try to create a scheduled flow. We will be trying to gradually add onto our posts so we hope you will continue to learn and grow with God's word with us.
“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us! But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.””
(Luke 23:39-43)
I know it’s not Easter, but this word means more today than it ever has to me. This week I got a great reminder and test of my character, of my relationship with our Lord, and let’s say, a parent-teacher conference update…my conference didn’t go very well.
See, this week I tested positive for Covid. I didn’t feel well over the weekend and into the beginning of the week, so I went to the doctor on Tuesday and found out I was positive with the flu and Covid. A normal person- you would think- would listen to the doctor’s instructions and take the doctor’s orders and go home, take their medicine, quarantine for a few days, get their rest and pray to God that He will do His healing on your body…not me.
Instead, it was “poor me! Why me? I don’t want to die; I don’t want to go through this again. What about my family? What about Taylor?” Every fear I have fought for the past 3 years, just came back and consumed my mind. I did everything the doctor asked of me. The one thing I didn’t do was pray to God as He asks of us. When I prayed for healing I did it out of fear; not trust. I did it out of “prove it to me” not out of love and a relationship with our Lord and Savior.
At that moment, I felt the lack of connection and relationship I have with Jesus.
The man at the cross wanted instant proof; instant evidence that who Jesus is - is who He says he is. Instead of putting his trust in Him, the man went to, “show me, and I will believe” (He didn’t say those exact words, but he might as well have). Like this man, I didn’t open my heart up to Him and lay everything at His feet. I ran to Him in fear and doubt. I wanted the instant fix.
You might ask yourself, “how can I compare myself to that criminal?”. Easy, we are all sinners, and we are all criminals and deserve punishment. We need to be like the other man on the cross, he examined himself and knew he deserved what was coming. And he knew he needed to be saved and gave his fear, his doubt, but most importantly; he gave his sin to Jesus. And he was saved.
So, my parent teacher conference didn’t come out great, but I know now, I have to get back on track or I will fail. And I don’t want to fail. God has given me another day, another second, another minute, another hour, another chance. Every breath we take is a blessing, we have to take advantage of what He has given us and praise Him and do what He has planned for us. And if we don’t know what He wants for us to do, just remember this from Psalm:
“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods.”
(Psalm 40: 1 -4)
He will tell you, but first you have to lay everything at His feet and wait on the Lord. Just some food for thought…
“You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD."
(Psalm 139:2-4)
We are grateful to have you with us as readers, church members, and interested guests and we are always open to any suggestions and volunteers for our website, newsletter, and future activities. We hope to see you at our Sunday services and stay tuned for our coming newsletters and updates at church, at bible study, on Facebook, on the Wix-App, and on the website!
Upcoming Events:
Special Prayers:
Pray for Israel and Our Country that the lord guides our leaders and gives strength and protection to His people.
Pray for Rachel for her health and the healing of her back and knees.
Pray for Elizabeth that the Lord continues to do miracles on her body.
Pray for the Bibles we are sending to Kenyan Children and Youth that the lord speaks to them through His word and blesses them.
Pray for our Newsletter that we can continue to write through the Holy Spirit
Pray for our Pastor and our church that we continue to grow and share the word of God to and that we continue to be blessed.
Weekly Devotional:
You can achieve the victorious life through living in deep dependence on God. People usually associate victory with success: not falling or stumbling, not making mistakes. But those who are successful in their own strength tend to go their own way, forgetting about God. It is through problems and failure, weakness and neediness, that you learn to rely on the grace and love of Christ.
True dependence is not simply asking the Lord to bless what you have decided to do. It is coming to Him with an open mind and heart, inviting Him to plant His desires in you. It is learning to walk in faith, and take one step at a time, leaning on Him throughout your walk and through His plans for you. This path will not always bring success. In fact, it will be a walk full of many failures and trials. However, each failure is followed with growth, nourished by increased reliance on the Lord. Enjoy the blessings and ultimate victory He gives to you when you learn to live in full and deep dependence on God.
Young, S. (2n.d.). Jesus calling: Enjoying peace in his presence: Devotions for every day of the year. Integrity Publishers.
Verse of the Week:
"The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."
(Psalm 34:17-18)
Questions?
For any questions or suggestions regarding our newsletter please email berthoudfoursquarechurch@gmail.com or call (970)405-3053
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