Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Encouragement

They Glorified God

Encouragement, Trust

They Glorified God

Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:16‬

Touching People

In Luke 7:11-17 Jesus stops a funeral procession when He saw a widowed woman who was just moments away from laying her only son to rest. This woman had lost her husband and now has lost all hope of any future because her only son has died. But Jesus saw her and had compassion for her. He touched the casket and told the dead man to get up. Immediately the man sat up and began speaking. The large crowd was amazed at what they saw but most importantly verse 16 says they glorified God because they knew Jesus was God.

This passage of Scripture gives us a perfect a portrait of how a church is to minister to people.

We must realize that the church is who represents Jesus in today’s society. We must do as Jesus did and see the needs of others and reach out and touch them with compassion and love. When the lost are touched with the love of Jesus, they come alive, spiritually. A church will glorify God when they are on mission and ministering to His people. We can’t miss any opportunities of serving people because we lose focus of the mission.

An encouraged church congregation is required to fulfill its mission. A discouraged church is not effective. Every church needs faithful members using their God-given gifts. Members who are not using their gifts are wasting them. Compassion brings people together and to the cross of Jesus. If a church is not loving people it’s not a real church.

Prayer

Pray and ask God how you can be the hands and feet of Jesus.

As Far As The East Is From The West

Encouragement, Trust

As Far As The East Is From The West

As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭103:12‬

Forever Forgiven

What an amazing truth and promise we have from God. We need to be reminded of His forgiving love often. When God forgives our sins they will never be remembered again.

As humans this is hard for us to comprehend. We have the ability to forgive but we have difficulty with letting go.  How many times do we ask the Lord to forgive us from certain sins but we never let them leave our mind? It’s not God who keeps bringing them back to our attention it is us. When we ask God for forgiveness and we repent of our sins, He removes them from existence. They are not stored in a memory bank nor will they be counted against us in the future. They are gone.

That is a great blessing and benefit to remember. What a blessing it is to have all your sins removed and remembered no more. If you have confessed and repented of a sin then you need to accept God’s grace of forgiveness. If you are haunted with the guilt of that same sin then you need to trust this promise from God. Let the past stay in the past. It’s time to live today for today. When Satan wants to remind you of your past then remind him of his future. The Bible says there is a day coming when Satan will be chained up and put away. Then there will be a time when Jesus reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The grace of God is more powerful than anything else.

Prayer

Confess your sins to the Lord and accept His wonderful and loving forgiveness.

Rejoice In The Lord

Encouragement, Trust

Rejoice In The Lord

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭3:18‬

 

God Is In Control

Habakkuk was experiencing some very tough economic times. Verse 17 tells us what was happening.  There were no figs on the trees, no grapes on the vines, no oil to cook with, no crops growing and no animals for meat. This simply means there was nothing to eat or drink and the future was not very promising.  People would panic if that were to happen today.

Habakkuk remained positive and faithful as verse 18 shines rays of hope. Habakkuk knew God was the source of everything. He knew that God is the Creator and Sustainer and could make anything happen. He knew God had everything under control. If God wasn’t going to allow the earth to produce then somehow everything would work out in His timing.  That’s why he says, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord and take joy in the God of my salvation.”  Even in the worst case senerio he knew he would be saved, even if he died.

Don’t focus on your circumstances. Focus on praising the One who controls everything. Circumstances can change quickly.  There was not a lot of food, but Jesus fed 5,000 men.  There was no wine at a wedding feast but Jesus saved the best for last.  To rejoice in the Lord when things are not going well means you know that God has something great in the works.  People all around you may be down in the dumps and depressed but you could be the one who brings hope and encouragement as a solution. Your attitude and actions reflect how you trust God.

Prayer

Praise God for what He has provided and you will not dwell on what you are lacking. God will provide what you need. Thank Him in advance.