SATURDAY, April 27 “Ready
to Listen!”
1 Samuel 3:10 (The Message)
Then God came and
stood before him exactly as before, calling out, “Samuel! Samuel!” Samuel
answered, “Speak. I’m your servant, ready to listen.”
Our world is filled with communication
devices. With the modern pagers, email
or texts, TV, Smart phones and Blackberries, you can toss in more ‘primitive’
forms of communication such as books, magazines, and newspapers or radio and
television. Are we ever ‘out of
touch’? God called to Samuel with the
communication of the period: voice. And
it took Samuel three tries before he was ready to listen, before he understood
it was God. How and when is God calling to us in this hectic modern age? Are we tuned-in enough to God-channels that
we will KNOW God’s voice when it comes?
It may come through an email, a text, or the intercom at the department
store, ‘Paging Ginger Rembold!’ It is an individual call for a specific purpose to use our personal God-given gifts.
God is calling. He has a plan for us. Are we prepared and ready to listen? Are we tuned in? Are we ready to hear our name?
Ephesians 5:16-17 (The Message)
So watch your step. Use your head. Make the
most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make
sure you understand what the Master wants.
I went online as I was
trying to remember a famous quote about making TODAY the best season of
life. Whether we are young, middle-age,
or nearing our final season, God has work for us to do, gifts for us to
share. We need to live for this season
and not spend it fearing the next. Don’t
wait for tomorrow. Live today fully – in
love and reveling in God’s glory. All the quotes I found are anonymous:
There is no time, No time to spare,
These are the moments, In which
we share.
There is no time, Forget the past,
For nothing is forever, This will
not last.
There is no time, The end is near,
Love each moment, Live not in
fear.
The past should be left in the past or it can steal your future.
Live life for what tomorrow can bring and not what yesterday has taken away.
Every day is a gift.
In the end we only
regret the chances we didn't take, the relationships we were afraid to have and
the decisions we waited too long to make. Don't waste a single moment.
Scroll down....new scribbles posted!
Acts 13:17-18 (Common English Bible)
We parents often speak of 'tough love' - times when you have to provide guidance for your wayward children in a firm and seemingly harsh manner. Your children are being 'tough TO love' during these moments! God had this problem with the Israelites during their time in the wilderness. They were like teenagers - constantly pushing his buttons, breaking the rules, or exceeding the limits imposed. Yet, as Paul writes, God put up with them. The GNT says God ‘endured’ them! He continued to provide for their physical needs and was present with them. Whenever we are frustrated with children or others we attempt to serve, may we remember our Father/Mother Parent-God who probably feels the same with us, only multiplied universe-fold!
We all know
those who are ‘tough to love’ or ungrateful.
May we have the patience with them that God has shown with us.
Be as patient with others as God has been with you. (ODB)WEDNESDAY, April 24 "Focus"
Hebrews 12:1-2 (The
Message)
So then, let us rid
ourselves of everything that gets in the way, and of the sin which holds on to
us so tightly, and let us run with determination the race that lies before us. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, on whom our
faith depends from beginning to end.
I struggled this morning to find WHAT I
wished to ponder. I looked at d365.org. Still on Revelation and flocks & shepherds. Did that last year. I checked the Walk Through the Bible Devotion.
Nothing caught my fancy. Last
choice, the Our Daily Bread booklet
from church. And I found the Hebrews
passage. Maybe my reminder today is to
focus on just ONE source. To get rid of
my morning perusal of email, Facebook, and the internet while simultaneously
trying to spend time with God. I think
God is getting short-changed. I need to momentarily
‘get rid of everything in the way’ and keep my eyes ‘fixed on Jesus’. And maybe I won’t then struggle. Pick one and stick with it. God will speak if I give Him time. Or maybe, it is time to not worry about MY input, and focus on God's. Check the prayer list. Spend time there! Listen....God is speaking.
We can finish strong when we focus on Christ. (ODB)
We can finish strong when we focus on Christ. (ODB)
TUESDAY, April 23 “Repentability Meter”
2 Samuel 12:13 (The
Message)
Then David confessed to Nathan, “I’ve sinned
against God.” Nathan pronounced, “Yes, but that’s not the
last word. God forgives
your sin. You won’t die for it.
What is my response when confronted with
wrong-doing? Do I get defensive? Make excuses and try to pawn the blame on
someone else? Or am I able to humbly
say, ‘I was wrong. Please forgive me.’? Am
I able to daily ask God for His forgiveness and respond with the same
forgiveness to others? What is my score
on the “Repentability” Meter?
Acts 8:34-35 (The Message)
The eunuch said, “Tell me, who is the prophet
talking about: himself or some other?” Philip grabbed his chance. Using this
passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.
How many were in Phillip’s congregation that day? Just one.
And that one, the Ethiopian eunuch, was ripe to hear the word of
God. How often do we fear we aren’t
speaking to a big enough audience? We
measure success of an event by how many were in attendance. Maybe, just maybe, God has placed just one
person before us for whom our words or actions will make all the difference in
the world. When that happens, we must be
ready to grab our chance. And because we
don’t always recognize at the time WHO that one person might be, we must be
ready to ALWAYS grab chances. We must
always be the image of God’s love. God
is preparing someone to be ripe for the message. We need to be ready to do our part. It might just be our neighbor or the next
person we meet.
You are a success in God’s kingdom if you are
faithful where He has placed you. (ODB)
SUNDAY, April 21 "Earth Day"
Psalm 139: 14 (The Message)
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration - what a creation!
The Psalmist David is speaking to God of the wonder of his own creation, the way his body is crafted to respond and heal, to work and worship. Yesterday as we hiked and traveled through the beauty of Big Bend National Park in Texas, I am led to consider more than the human is included in this text.
The desert environment is a harsh host. Water is fickle, nourishment scarce. And yet, when we find how God has fashioned the incredible ways these living beings adapt to their environment, it gives pause once again to the wonder of the universe, the wonder of it all. Ocotillos only sprout leaves after a rainfall. It may be a brief period, they dry and fall, to be repeated several times a year when the rain comes. Some seeds have a covering that prevents germination unless enough rain falls to wash it off, thus saying, "Go for it, you have a chance!" The stories repeat over and over - God has given us what we need to survive, to even thrive. When we use these gifts as God has intended, we will be blessed in ways we cannot foresee.
May we continue to worship in adoration to the God of all creation!
SERMON NOTES: John 10:22-30 First Presbyterian Church of Alpine, TX Rev. Jobeth McLeod
SERMON NOTES: John 10:22-30 First Presbyterian Church of Alpine, TX Rev. Jobeth McLeod
- Today is often called Good Shepherd Sunday
- My sheep know MY voice.
- We have selective hearing and often are tuned only to the voice of the world.
- Selective hearing helps if we are tuned to the right station.
- Our room in Hotel Heaven is ready, the light is turned on, for whenever we are ready to check in.
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