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Gleanings From The Word

Category: fellowship

  • What’s Your Story? Share your testimony!

    What’s Your Story? Share your testimony!

    Blackboard with text "What is your story?"

    What’s your story?  We all have one. In Christian circles we call it your testimony.

    The Bible is a book made up of stories. They are all true, but stories of God and how he worked in His people. They tell of His steadfast love, incredible patience, and endless mercies. They tell what He requires of us and the consequences for our wrongdoing. His stories tell of His redemptive plan for us.

    We are called to share our stories. It’s urged from many places in the Bible.

    “Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96:3

    “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9  

    “Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.”  2 Timothy 4:2

    “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” Romans 10:14

    The problem is that we often think about our testimonies as being who we were before Jesus and the moment that changed. That’s part of the story, but it’s ongoing. Our story grows non stop because God is relentless in His love and mercy and his patience knows no bounds.

    It’s time to dig out your five, ten, twenty, or more-year-old testimony and blow the dust off it. What did you see God doing of late?

    That answered prayer. That unexpected kindness. The job offer or check that materialized out of the blue at just the right time. The marriage that was healed. Your peace over a decision. A friend’s life changed.

    That’s all part of your story, your testimony. Those are things worth sharing.

    When we do, it brings glory to God and encourages others. Only you can tell your story. Don’t keep it hidden.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    Unexpected – some thoughts on worry

    Right beliefs or right living? Either or both?

  • Awe – How was worship today at your local church?

    Awe – How was worship today at your local church?

    Morraine Lake

    Today’s image is Moraine Lake in Alberta. The sight always stops me in my tracks and leaves me in awe. How much more can I be in awe of God? Thinking of awe led to this morning’s Gleanings.

    Have you ever done this? I confess that I have, and too often. You’ve just attended the Sunday service at your local church, and before you’re out the door, you’re complaining. That was boring. The service was too short/long. The music wasn’t the right volume/genre, and the songs were too old/new.

    Maybe it was, “Did you see what Mrs. Smith was wearing? Or, perhaps, “Did you see that teenager who wore his hat in the service or had that rude t-shirt?” How about “Did you see who was ushering. How can they even show their face in the church?’

    The pastor spoke too long, I didn’t like the prayer time, that baby kept fussing, the list goes on and on.

    Perhaps we were focused on the wrong things. Any one of those comments might be accurate (or not), but we’ve missed the point of “going to church.”

    The Sunday service (or whatever day yours happens to be) is a time to gather in godly fellowship with other believers, to meet with the one true God and worship Him corporately. We do that through serving, teaching, singing, giving, fellowship, and loving others.

    When we go to meet with God, our focus changes. I believe it was RC Sproule who once said, “People in awe never complain that church is boring.” 

    Whenever we read of people in the bible encountering God, awe is a common factor.

    “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”  Revelation 4:8 ESV

    “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.”  Job 40:4 ESV

    “If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore, you are feared” Psalm 130:3-4 ESV

    Now, I’ll be the first to admit that not every Sunday service causes us to fall on our faces in awe of God. Still, if our focus and desire are to meet with the living God through the message of the Word, the singing, and true fellowship, He will meet us there.

    Our hearts and minds will be transformed.

    If you’re not happy with your local church, perhaps the first thing you ought to do is check your own heart. Maybe something about the format isn’t to your liking, but was God present? Is the congregation being transformed into the image of God? 

    The local church, with all its warts and flaws, all the people still in progress, and all its problems, is still the bride of Christ. We need to learn to love her as much as we do Him.

    Wherever you worship this Sunday, set aside everything else and seek His face with joy and awe.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

    Some others to choose from

    Every Member Is Necessary — 1 Corinthians 12

    Some thoughts on finding a good church

    Find a good church

    Live in Abbotsford? There are many good churches. This is where I attend.