Sunday, July 27, 2014

Focus '14-Modeling Jesus-Entry #27

Hi Friends!

Unless you have been been in a far away place without any form of communication, odds are good that your mind like those of most people on the planet, has been inundated with discouraging and troubling news in recent days.

Thanks be to God that Jesus provides authentic answers for troubling times. He invites us to come to Him in our weariness and with our burdens and He promises to give us rest when we choose to do so. Contextually (see Matthew 11: 28-30) Jesus guarantees His peace is different than that in the world.

The Bible consistently tells us that Jesus provides peace that passes all human understanding (see Philippians 4) as His peace guards our hearts and minds. Therein is where the proverbial rubber meets the road: the Bible teaches that lasting behavioral change requires a permanent change of our hearts toward God in Christ.

Tragically, some refuse to believe that truth and as a result the world continues to morally decline with man's inhumanity to man reaching new and epic proportions. I encourage you to remember that our responsibility is to pray for everyone, even our enemies, asking God to intervene in a way that turns all hearts toward Him.

There is a statistic that says the phrase "fear not" is used in the Bible 365 times: one for each day of the year. I have never counted to check the validity of that statistic but I am confident we have nothing to fear of man (be afraid of man) in as much as we fear (revere) Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

The invitation of Jesus is for all people to come to Him and find rest. If you haven't made that decision please do so today. If you have please pray for others to do so and heart-by-heart, person-by-person, the world will come to know the peace of Christ that protects His followers from eternal harm.

Our current lesson series at Connections is centered in the gospel of Christ as recorded by Matthew. The word gospel means "good news" and our focus is to preach and share as much "good news" about Christ in a troubled world as we possibly can.

Please join us and worship and pray with us as we seek to be instruments of blessing to all mankind.

God's Peace,
Jeff

1 comment:

  1. The man who wrote the following words died 140 years ago. The truth of the words has not changed.

    My hope is built on nothing less
    Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
    I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
    But wholly lean on Jesus' name.
    On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
    All other ground is sinking sand.

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