whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;
all things have been created through Him and for Him.
He is before all things,
and in Him all things hold together.
And He is the head of the body, the church;
He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead,
so that in everything He might have the supremacy.”
John 15:5
“I am the vine;
you are the branches.
If you remain in Me
and I in you,
you will bear much fruit;
apart from Me you can do nothing.”
I could move to Hollywood Get my teeth capped, I know I could Be a big star on the silver screen Just like James Dean, I could be a star I could climb the corporate ladder Buy, sell, and liquidate Maybe be just like the Beatles Melodic, rocking heavyweights I could learn to sing and dance If I only had a chance I could be a big rock star
I could be anything I wanted to I could be anything, but one thing’s true
Never gonna be as big as Jesus Never gonna hold the world in my hand Never gonna be as big as Jesus Never gonna build a promised land But that’s alright, it’s okay with me
I could build a tower to Heaven Get on top and touch the sky I could write a million songs All designed to glorify I could be about as good Good as any human could But that won’t get me by
You’re never gonna be as BIG as Jesus!!
So don’t even try…
You can’t top Him!
You can’t out-give Him!
Don’t try to do His job in your life…
Or be God in someone else’s life…
He’s God…
You’re not!!
It’s OK…
Your job from the Father isn’t as hard as the Son’s!!
Whew!
How liberating…
And such a relief!!
Hey, just say it…
“I’m not as big as Jesus!!”
It’s OK…
I’m not either…
No one is!
We don’t need to be…
And we can be okay with that!
We need a BIG God!
Jesus is your Superhero!!
Luke 4:14-21
“Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news about Him spread through the whole countryside.
He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised Him.
He went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up,
and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was his custom.
He stood up to read,
and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him.
Unrolling it, He found the place where it is written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.‘
Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.
The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him.
He began by saying to them,
‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’”
Revelation 22
“Look, I am coming soon!
My reward is with Me,
and I will give to each person according to what they have done.
(Sunset photo taken at Ponce de Leon Park by my friend Marian!)
Isaiah 41:10
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 37:5
“Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.”
Foes are many…
Rise against you…
Hold your ground!
Don’t fear the wars or storms…
Your help is on the way!!
Our God will not delay…
He’s our refuge and strength…
Always!!!
His promise is true!
Our God will come through…
Always!!!
Trouble surrounds us…
Chaos abounds…
My soul will rest in You!!
Lift your eyes up…
Your help comes from the Lord!!
Always from You Lord…
Always!!
Psalm 124:8
“Our help is in the Name of the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth.”
Psalm 121
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip— He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will keep you from all harm— He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
Where does your help come from???
Look to the Lord…
He’s always right here!!
With His Love…
His Promises…
His Strength…
His Help!!
Always!!
Exodus 15:2
“The Lord is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father’s God, and I will exalt Him.”
Joshua 1:9
“Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous.
Do not be afraid;
do not be discouraged,
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Psalm 28:7
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him.”
Psalm 73:26
“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Psalm 9:9
“The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.”
Ephesians 6:10
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.”
‘The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.
He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come,
but they refused to come.
Then he sent some more servants and said,
‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner:
My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready.
Come to the wedding banquet.’
But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business.
The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them.
The king was enraged.
He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.
Then he said to his servants,
‘The wedding banquet is ready,
but those I invited did not deserve to come.
So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’
So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find,
the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to see the guests,
he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’
The man was speechless.
Then the king told the attendants,
‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside,
into the darkness,
where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
For many are invited, but few are chosen.’”
Here’s…Classic Newsboys with a great reminder!!
Hold the milk, put back the sugar They are powerless to console We’ve gathered here to sprinkle ashes From our late friend’s cereal bowl
Breakfast clubbers, say the motto That he taught us to repeat “You will lose it in your gym class If you wait ’til noon to eat.”
Back when the Chess Club said our eggs were soft Every Monday he’d say grace and hold our juice aloft Oh, none of us knew his checkout time would come so soon But before his brain stopped waving, he composed this tune
When the toast has burned And all the milk has turned And Cap’n Crunch is waving farewell When the big one finds you May this song remind you That they don’t serve breakfast in hell
Breakfast clubbers, drop the hankies Though to some our friend was odd That day he bought those pine pajamas His check was good with God
Those here without the Lord, how do you cope? For this morning we don’t mourn like those who have no hope Oh, rise up, Froot Loop lovers; sing out sweet and low With spoons held high, we bid our brother “Cheerio!”
John 14:1-4
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You believe in God;
believe also in Me.
My Father’s house has many rooms;
if that were not so,
would I have told you
that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back
and take you to be with Me
that you also may be where I am.
You know the way to the place where I am going.“
Colossians 3:1-4
“Since, then,
you have been raised with Christ,
set your hearts on things above,
where Christ is,
seated at the right hand of God.
Set your minds on things above,
not on earthly things.
For you died,
and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is your life,
appears,
then you also will appear with Him in glory.”
Revelation 21:4
“‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death’
or mourning or crying or pain,
for the old order of things has passed away.”
Revelation 22:1-5
“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life,
as clear as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb
down the middle of the great street of the city.
On each side of the river stood the tree of life,
bearing twelve crops of fruit,
yielding its fruit every month.
And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
No longer will there be any curse.
The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city,
and His servants will serve Him.
They will see His face, and His Name will be on their foreheads.
There will be no more night.
They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun,
for the Lord God will give them light.
And they will reign for ever and ever.”
Philippians 3:20-21
“But our citizenship is in Heaven.
And we eagerly await a Savior from there,
the Lord Jesus Christ,
who, by the power that enables Him
to bring everything under His control,
will transform our lowly bodies
so that they will be like His Glorious Body.”
Psalm 23:6
“Surely Your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.”
Revelation 19:7-9
“Let us rejoice and be glad
and give Him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)
Then the angel said to me,
‘Write this:
Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’
Another important step in gaining the mind of Christ is found in a word:
Remember
Where were we when Jesus found us? What was life like? What kinds of messes were we in at that time? If we aren’t filled with gratitude for what the Lord has done in us, then we’ve forgotten. StephenWhoElse made an excellent comment regarding Ministry That Matters. It was this:
“God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. (2 Cor 1:3-4)
If God has lifted us out from the same mess that the brokenhearted, downtrodden and desperate people are in, then we have a big responsibility to share with them the same comfort we received from God.”
I recently realized that none of Jesus’ disciples were “saved” when He called them to follow Him. Not one of them was a “Christian” – a believer.
This thought returns often as I ponder the significance of this truth.
Somehow, many have the idea that “ministry” in the church (i.e. to teach, preach, lead worship, or usher, etc.) is the “do-all” “end-all” of our existence. I’m having to re-think this belief. Corporate gatherings are for the purpose of worshiping our Lord and equipping the body.
Equipped for what? By today’s standards, the purpose would seem to be so we could have a happier week between services.
However, Jesus said,
“Love one another
as I loved you.”
(John 13:34)
The word havemakes me ask, “when”? Is He referring to these men at the end of their lives, when they finally “arrived” at spiritual maturity?
I see my life sometimes and I ask why… My heart became like stone and turned to ice… Tell me, what have I become? But You came just in time like a shooting star… Across my universe out of the dark… Tell me, what have I become?
Take me away, You save me from myself and all I do… ‘Cause life just ain’t the same when I’m with You…
I can climb the sky!!
You got me… Walking on, wa-walking on the stars… (Walking on, walking on the stars)
I see life through new set of eyes… Set on someone different that I never realized… Outside my mind is a lost world that lies… But step into my thoughts, you’ll believe you can fly… Your words like wings, gravity they defy… My heart like a leaf on the wind catchin’ rides… They say we can’t make it, at least we gotta try… We make too much sense, to foolishly pass it by… So I’m taking a rainbow up to the 5th floor… Steppin’ out to see that You’re really worth more, and I… See our love in 3d, no more 2 dimensional worries… Climb until the sky don’t exist no more… That’s when I’ll knock knock on Your front door… Open to the possibilities I ignored… But I know now exactly what our love was meant for…
Take me away, You save me from myself, and all I do… ‘Cause life just ain’t the same when I’m with You…
I can climb the sky!!
You got me… Walking on, wa-walking on the stars… (Walking on, walking on the stars) Now, I can see my life from way up high… And now the troubles I once knew, I left behind…
I can climb the sky!!
You got me… Walking on, wa-walking on the stars… (Walking on, walking on the stars)
And I can see, much more clear… When I’m lost in Your atmosphere… You pull me close, to the place… Where You’re always waiting… So I won’t stop, the walls are down… Make my way at the speed of sound… Hold me now, hold me now…
Take me away, You save me from myself, and all I do… ‘Cause life just ain’t the same when I’m with You…
I can climb the sky!!
Genesis 1:8
“God called the vault ‘sky.’
And there was evening, and there was morning—
the second day.”
Genesis 1:14-19
“And God said,
‘Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night,
and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times,
and days and years,
and let them be lights in the vault of the sky
to give light on the earth.’
And it was so.
God made two great lights—
the greater light to govern the day
and the lesser light to govern the night.
He also made the stars.
God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,
to govern the day and the night,
and to separate light from darkness.
And God saw that it was good.
And there was evening,
and there was morning—
the fourth day.”
Psalm 139:7-12
“Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, You are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there Your hand will guide me,
Your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, ‘Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,’
even the darkness will not be dark to You;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to You.”
Psalm 147:4
“He determines the number of the stars
and calls them each by name.”
Numbers 16:42
“But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron
and turned toward the tent of meeting,
suddenly the cloud covered it
and the glory of the Lord appeared.”
Psalm 136:7-9
“Praise Him who made the heavenly lights,
for His loving-kindness continues forever:
the sun to rule the day,
for His loving-kindness continues forever;
and the moon and stars at night,
for his loving-kindness continues forever.”
Isaiah 40:26
“Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
Who created all these?
He who brings out the starry host one by one
and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of His great power and mighty strength,
not one of them is missing.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
“For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven,
with a loud command,
with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet call of God,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
After that,
we who are still alive and are left
will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
Exodus 13:21-22
“By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud
to guide them on their way
and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light,
so that they could travel by day or night.
Neither the pillar of cloud by day
nor the pillar of fire by night
left its place in front of the people.”
Acts 1:9-11
“He said to them:
‘It is not for you to know the times or dates
the Father has set by His own authority.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;
and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem,
and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’
After He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes,
and a cloud hid Him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky as He was going,
when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.
‘Men of Galilee,’ they said,
“why do you stand here looking into the sky?
This same Jesus,
who has been taken from you into Heaven,
will come back in the same way
you have seen Him go into Heaven.”
Philippians 2:15-16
“…so that you may become blameless and pure,
‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’
Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky
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