living

Ephesians 4:1 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.

2 Always be humble and gentle.

Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love.

3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit,
binding yourselves together with peace.

what He wants & what we get

Psalm 50:7 "O my people, listen as I speak.
Here are my charges against you, O Israel:
I am God, your God!
8 I have no complaint about your sacrifices
or the burnt offerings you constantly offer.

9 But I do not need the bulls from your barns
or the goats from your pens.
10 For all the animals of the forest are mine,
and I own the cattle on a thousand hills.

11 I know every bird on the mountains,
and all the animals of the field are mine.

12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for all the world is mine and everything in it.

13 Do I eat the meat of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats?

14 Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
15 Then call on me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give me glory."


Ephesians 3:16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.

18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

who we are

Ephesians 2:10 We are God's masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.

How many of us feel like a masterpiece? Yeah...

But that's the way God looks at us. He sees the masterpiece He made.

And He dreamed a BIG dream for our lives a gajillion years ago.

That all still blows my mind.

guidance

Psalm 48:14b He is our God forever & ever, & He will be our Guide until we die.

Here's what my Life Application Bible says about this verse. It's pretty interesting...

"We often pray for God's guidance as we struggle with decisions.

"What we need is both a map that gives us directions & a constant companion who has an intimate knowledge of the way & will make sure we interpret the map correctly.

"The Bible is such a map, & the Holy Spirit is our constant companion & guide."

Hmmmmmm....

So, read the Bible every day & listen out for what the Holy Spirit says?

Works for me.

word

When I got up this morning, I finally had that feeling that this whole Blairsville thing is a mistake.

We have no jobs. (Lynn's still teaching at Macon State on Mondays & Wednesdays - but that ends in December)

We have no relationships.

We don't REALLY know what we're supposed to be & do here.
We think we're supposed to reach out to the 20somethings here.
And we think we're supposed to have people gather for a live streamed service from SportsTowne.
But how do you do that with no jobs to give you contact with people?

We can't last forever without jobs.

Yeah, I'm having a moment this morning.

I need God to say something specific to me this morning.

I'm slated to read Micah 3, Psalm 47, & Galatians 6 this morning in the sequential reading I do each day.

As I was writing down those places in my journal, God just kinda nudged me about verse 9 in Galatians 6.

Galatians 6:9
So don't get tired of doing what is good.
Don't get discouraged & give up,
for we will reap a harvest of blessing
at the appropriate time.

Yeah...

Ok, God... I hitch up my britches & keep walking in the direction I'm going.

Thanks for the word.

Who empowers

Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge & strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.
2 So we will not fear,
even if earthquakes come
& the mountains crumble into the sea.

heirs

Galatians 4:1 If a father dies and leaves an inheritance for his young children, those children are not much better off than slaves until they grow up, even though they actually own everything their father had.

2 They have to obey their guardians until they reach whatever age their father set.

3 And that's the way it was with us before Christ came. We were like children; we were slaves to the basic spiritual principles of this world.

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.

6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." (dan note: this is a intimate term of familiarity, something along the line of calling your father "papa" )

7 Now you are no longer a slave but God's own child.

And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.