Question for the day: Do changes just happen?
What can we pray for YOU about today?
Good morning,
This is just a reminder that every day, while we are studying God’s Word to add to our website, someone from our ministry, Dysmas Conduit, is holding you up before the Lord in prayer. May He greatly bless you today as you pursue His will and He is glorified through you.
God’s blessings, our love,
George & Sidney Granger
FREE FOOD
(Isa 55:1)
Today in God’s Word
TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2009
Please join your brothers and sisters
studying and praying with us today…
By Pastor Greg Finke
"And we are being transformed into His likeness, which comes from the Spirit."
2 Corinthians 3:18
We all need change in our lives. We all need to change. We need the transformation God offers. Why? Because we all have hurts, habits and hang-ups that mess up our lives. We need to change those, or they will keep messing us up and messing up those in life with us.
However, as anyone who has actually tried to change themselves can attest, we can't change ourselves. Whether it's the alcoholic or the chronic complainer or anything else. We try, we mean to, we make promises, we put ourselves down, we blame others. But we don't change.
Here's the truth: Only the Spirit of Jesus can change us.
A friend from Alcoholics Anonymous once summed it up for me this way: I can't. Jesus can. Think I'll let Him.
You see, our ongoing transformation is God's work, but it requires our participation.
How does Jesus change me?
He brings me to the end of myself so that I can receive Him (His affection and wisdom).
He invites me to daily participate in practices through which He is given access to change my heart and life. Giving Him more and more access to my life (surrendering more and more of me leads to deeper and deeper transformation in me).
These practices themselves do not change us. The Spirit of Jesus changes us. The practices are simply the means by which Jesus chooses to gain access to our lives in order to change us.
Daily we make the choice to put ourselves into position to let the Spirit of Jesus change us through these practices. No practices, no change. No change? Guess why.
What are the practices that put us into position? We will be talking more about that in tomorrow's
Let's use the rest of our time today for one of them. Prayer. Take a few moments. Fall silent. Listen. Then offer up what He gives. "Here I am Father..."
Be wise and be Church!
Pastor Greg
…and…
The Daily Choice for Change
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit… "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." At once they left their nets and followed him… As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth. "Follow me," he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.
II Corinthians 3:18, Mark 1:17-18, Matthew 9:9
So, if the Spirit of Jesus is the only One who changes us, we need to put ourselves into position to let Him change us. We spoke about this in the message yesterday in worship. If you would like to tune in click here.
VIEW OR LISTEN AT
http://www.gdlc.org/worship/sermons.aspx
Today’s Chapter in God’s Word
Acts 4
Listen at
http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
Nothing to Hide
1-4
While Peter and John were addressing the people, the priests, the chief of the Temple police, and some Sadducees came up, indignant that these upstart apostles were instructing the people and proclaiming that the resurrection from the dead had taken place in Jesus. They arrested them and threw them in jail until morning, for by now it was late in the evening. But many of those who listened had already believed the Message—in round numbers about five thousand!
5-7
The next day a meeting was called in
8-12
With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: "Rulers and leaders of the people, if we have been brought to trial today for helping a sick man, put under investigation regarding this healing, I'll be completely frank with you—we have nothing to hide. By the name of Jesus Christ of
13-14
They couldn't take their eyes off them—Peter and John standing there so confident, so sure of themselves! Their fascination deepened when they realized these two were laymen with no training in Scripture or formal education. They recognized them as companions of Jesus, but with the man right before them, seeing him standing there so upright—so healed!—what could they say against that?
15-17
They sent them out of the room so they could work out a plan. They talked it over: "What can we do with these men? By now it's known all over town that a miracle has occurred, and that they are behind it. There is no way we can refute that. But so that it doesn't go any further, let's silence them with threats so they won't dare to use Jesus' name ever again with anyone."
18-20
They called them back and warned them that they were on no account ever again to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John spoke right back, "Whether it's right in God's eyes to listen to you rather than to God, you decide. As for us, there's no question—we can't keep quiet about what we've seen and heard."
21-22
The religious leaders renewed their threats, but then released them. They couldn't come up with a charge that would stick, that would keep them in jail. The people wouldn't have stood for it—they were all praising God over what had happened. The man who had been miraculously healed was over forty years old.
One Heart, One Mind
23-26
As soon as Peter and John were let go, they went to their friends and told them what the high priests and religious leaders had said. Hearing the report, they lifted their voices in a wonderful harmony in prayer: "Strong God, you made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them. By the Holy Spirit you spoke through the mouth of your servant and our father, David:
Why the big noise, nations?
Why the mean plots, peoples?
Earth's leaders push for position,
Potentates meet for summit talks,
The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers!
27-28
"For in fact they did meet—Herod and Pontius Pilate with nations and peoples, even Israel itself!—met in this very city to plot against your holy Son Jesus, the One you made Messiah, to carry out the plans you long ago set in motion.
29-30
"And now they're at it again! Take care of their threats and give your servants fearless confidence in preaching your Message, as you stretch out your hand to us in healings and miracles and wonders done in the name of your holy servant Jesus."
31
While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God's Word with fearless confidence.
32-33
The whole congregation of believers was united as one—one heart, one mind! They didn't even claim ownership of their own possessions. No one said, "That's mine; you can't have it." They shared everything. The apostles gave powerful witness to the resurrection of the Master Jesus, and grace was on all of them.
34-35
And so it turned out that not a person among them was needy. Those who owned fields or houses sold them and brought the price of the sale to the apostles and made an offering of it. The apostles then distributed it according to each person's need.
36-37
Joseph, called by the apostles "Barnabas" (which means "Son of Comfort"), a Levite born in Cyprus, sold a field that he owned, brought the money, and made an offering of it to the apostles.
CURRENT PRAYER REQUESTS:
We need all of you praying right now for baby Jayden. He and his dad (Cameron) were in a collision with an oncoming 18-wheeler that swerved into their lane to avoid another vehicle. The vehicle that Cameron and Jayden were in was split in half and Jayden was severely injured. He is in surgery at OLOL right now but he is not expected to live. There is severe swelling and bleeding on his brain. Jayden's mother is Garrett. His grandmother is Bonnie (Shawn's sister). Cameron is okay physically. Please lift them all up right away.
Amy Tolsolin-Gee
Please pray for our daughter Jamie she is dealing with anxiety and panic attacks. She is a single mom with 3 girls and has a lot on her plate besides going to college for nursing, which starts again in a couple of weeks. Please pray she can overcome these attacks without medication and can find some peace in her life. Thanks for standing in the gap. Dave and Carol Taylor
THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR PASTOR BOB ALLMANN
Please remain in prayer concerning his continued healing and that he is upheld by the Spirit, becoming physically strong as he returns to serving the Lord… what he loves to do!
Please continue to pray for Billy Hamburg, whose doctors found 5 tumors in his bladder. He had surgery June 29th and the biopsy results showed a cancerous condition. He will be undergoing chemo & radiation treatments and will need the Lord’s Hand to overcome his anxiety as well as the cancer.
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