The best life is a God First life

Category: Thankfulness (Page 3 of 3)

Love is why many church building doors (not the Church) were temporarily closed this time last year.

Love is why many church building doors (not the Church) were temporarily closed this time last year.
————LOVE ———
 
No Christian wanted the doors closed, and we knew It was only temporary.
We asked ourselves, which one of us would volunteer to bury our parent, spouse, siblings, child, best friend, etc., as a result of NOT taking precautions? We took comfort in knowing that closing the building’s doors does not stop those “In Christ” from being ”The Church.”
It did not stop us from reaching out to say hello, letting others know we care or seeking how we can help others. It did not stop us from praying or sharing God’s Word through medians such as this or live streaming, among others. It did NOT stop us from remembering Christ’s death and resurrection on the first day of the week and partaking of the bread and fruit of the vine In remembrance of Christ’s body and blood as it was shed for us, doing so every week.
We still sang praises to God, shared the message of Christ, and continued to support our Congregation’s efforts to share God’s Word to the world financially.
While we were apart physically, we sorely missed the smiles, handshakes, hugs, and maybe most of all, engaging personally with the encouragement and active examples of our brothers and sisters in Christ who we faithfully see at every bible study and Worship service possible.
With all the challenges we faced while the church building doors were closed, many of our Christian siblings sought and found ways to continue edifying, lifting each other’s spirits, and sharing Christ during these difficult times.
 
Christians who vigorously showed all that “The Church” is alive and active 24/7 demonstrating the Love of Christ.
 
The Government established Covid-19 guidelines, and in adherence, the building doors re-opened as soon as possible. In Consideration of these guidelines and health concerns for themselves or others, People began to return to in-person Worship and study as they could.
 
With the introduction of the vaccine and Improved treatments, we get closer each day to life pre-covid and look forward to that day when everyone is together again. When we Worshiped from our homes, we did so out of Love. Love for God and love for others. We adhered to the Word of God concerning our responsibility towards governing authorities.
 
Maybe the real test in all this is whether we would each be ”The Church, ” no matter what, building or no building, and keep our priorities on God, First!
 
I love the Lord’s Church, Don’t you?
 
To help clarify. I posted the above article on a social media site and had some take exception to it so, In my opinion, Love for others is one of the main reasons many Church’s closed the building doors a year ago.
At this time, much of covid-19, how it was transmitted, how to treat it, how deadly was it, was very new and unknown. There was and still is a ton of misinformation regarding it.
 
I remember having and listening to discussions of concern for others, for their safety, especially those more susceptible.
 
Based on some of the comments I recived on the social media site, maybe some never did, but I classify these discussions and concerns for others as love. Love for others!
 
I believe since it is the second greatest command that it strongly played into the decisions of our elders’ at my congregation. 
 
I am not an elder or deacon, but I am confident the elders weighed the circumstances and all scripture very carefully and made the right decision.
 
I believe It was made out of love for God, God’s Word, and love for others.

Stepped on Toes, be grateful!

If the words from the pulpit step on our toes, be grateful. If the words from the pulpit never step on our toes, be concerned.

God’s word can ’take us by the ear’ and guide us to better ourselves, or; it can be used to ”tickle our ears.” None of us are perfect, so; rather than take offense when lessons strike at our core, why not embrace their intent to encourage us?

To encourage our self-examination and compare our decisions to the expectations of God that are found in Scripture.

God’s way is the healthy way!

A Christ-like life is where we find mental calm and the comfort of God. (2 Cor. 1:3) It’s how we can have peace in the midst of chaos and Joy in the midst of pain.

God offers us peace that surpasses all understanding. With God, we can be certain every word is true, and we can rely on every promise.

All things are possible with God, and every person has the opportunity to be forgiven. Our souls will live for eternity somewhere; our choices today decide where.

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.”

3 John‬ ‭1:2‬‬‬

God First!

The gift we can give God that God wants?

God gave mankind a unique opportunity. He created us in His image and gave us the ability to give to Him the one thing He really wants from his Creation. “Our Love by Our choice” I can think of nothing else we can offer God that He simply could not create for himself. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus points out that all the law of the prophets is dependent on Loving God with every ounce of our being and loving our neighbors as ourselves. In John 14:15, Jesus tells us, If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And in John 13:34-35, A New commandment to love others as Christ loved us.

How can we know God’s commandments if we don’t study? Someone said to me, “it does not matter what we believe; we are all headed to the same place.” Why would God document thousands of years of interactions between Himself and mankind, that we may know him and provided us a pathway through the sacrifice of His Son on the Cross if it doesn’t matter what we believe?

We have been given the opportunity to accept God’s Grace through our loving obedience, which we strive earnestly to give because we love God. It’s that love that creates in us the desire to do God’s Will, according to God. While it might be comforting to say, it doesn’t matter what we believe, teach and practice, it’s not what we find in the words, examples, and precepts of Scripture.

The Bible is the most available book on the planet, and according to God’s word, all scripture is “God-breathed.” (2nd Timothy 3:16). I never want to hear Jesus say to me the words He mentions in Matthew 7:21–23. According to Scripture, it matters to God what we believe, what we teach, and the example we set.

I never want to take God’s love for granted; Instead, I want to give God, The one gift he values from you and me. “Our Love” We can do this by studying and sharing the message of Christ, keeping his commandment, pursuing righteousness. Doing all that we can to follow the commands, examples, and precepts of God according to God’s Word, not ours.

God First!

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