Pastor Stephen Dedman

Category: Faith

We Need Each Other

Encouragement, Faith

‘And the Lord God said, “ It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” ‘
Genesis 2:18

God designed us to function best as a community. Even before sin entered the garden of Eden, God said something wasn’t good about His perfect creation. God noticed that something was missing. Adam had good fellowship with God but he needed someone to do life with on his level. God said it wasn’t good for him to be alone.

God knows that isolation is not good for mankind. God’s instruction to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply. The reason is because we are made for community. Community encourages us to communicate and fellowship with one another.

There is power in community. In the New Testament we see people establishing churches for the sole basis of community of faith in Christ. God can accomplish a great work through people who are connected together and serving each other in love.

Perhaps the best joy comes from fellowship around the table while sharing a meal. Jesus never missed an opportunity to share a meal with people he loved. Jesus encouraged people to fellowship with one another. If it be a large group of people or a just a couple of friends, Jesus knew how to bring people together in love.

Just know that you need to be around other people. Especially other Christ-minded people. We each need to soak in Christian fellowship and we need to give ourselves to those who are in need of fellowship. You can make a difference just by inviting someone to lunch or dinner.

Pray

Lord, thank You for giving us the people in our lives. Let us appreciate our friends and neighbors who are surrounding us. Show me how I can share love and joy with someone near me.

God Knows

Encouragement, Faith

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:8

Since the fall of man, mankind has been hiding from God. The shame of our sin creates an urgency to hide from the presence of God. Immediately after Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree they hid from God.

Their shame and guilt made them flee from the holiness of God. But notice most importantly that it was God who came searching for them.

It is a natural reaction to want to hide from God when we are caught up in sin. Have you noticed in your life that when you are free from the guilt and shame you desire to be in the presence of God?

When we have unconfessed sin we try to hide and shield ourselves from God. Adam and Eve covered themselves and hid behind some trees. But God knew what they had done and went seeking after them.

Sometimes we think that God is mad at us when we sin. We think that His anger is going to be severe or that He will not forgive us. So we do what is natural and hide.

For some reason we honestly think we can hide from God. The truth is, we can’t hide from God and He isn’t mad at us.

God has been pursuing man since the fall of man. God has been actively chasing after His children since the beginning. He wants a relationship with us.

It was God who initiated the search and rescue mission for us. Luke tells us that Jesus came to seek and to save those who are lost. (Luke 19:10) God knows that we are sinners and He has provided a way for us to have a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus.

Are you running from God? Are you trying to hide something from God? Just know that you can’t.

God knows exactly where you are and what you are doing and most importantly, He cares for you. He wants you to free yourself from the shame and guilt of your sin and open yourself up to Him.

Pray

Lord, You know my heart and You know my every step. I confess to You all of my sins and ask for Your forgiveness. Keep me in Your presence and shield me with Your grace.

God Supplies Our Needs

Faith, Trust

“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.”
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:12-13‬

Sometimes we are faced with unexpected circumstances. Either what we thought would happen didn’t or something happened that we didn’t plan for. Sometimes these life events can seem pretty intense.

What do we do when we don’t know what the future holds? The Book of Philippians helps us learn about real life situations.

Paul was faced with incredible life threatening circumstances. He was chained in prison for preaching Jesus. He was physically chained to a Roman guard. There was no way out.

Can you imagine what was going through his mind? Would he actually be put to death for preaching in the name of Jesus? Would God somehow work a miracle and release him from prison? Or would he be forgotten about and spend the rest of his life in prison?

His future was uncertain but he was sure of one thing as he stated in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” He knew God was in control and had a perfect plan.

When we face unexpected circumstances of our own we need to have the faith to respond and react the way that Paul did. He didn’t miss out on what God gifted him with. He didn’t have a multitude to preach to, but he did share the gospel with the Roman guards.

He didn’t have fellowship with other Christians but he did write to them and encourage them. Even though his circumstances were not what he expected, he knew that God would reveal Himself to be powerful.

When we face unexpected circumstances (and we will), we need to look at them with the perspective that God is up to something big and wants to use us in a specific way for His glory. As our verse for today states, Paul’s imprisonment was for Christ’s sake and for the Gospel to be advanced.

Pray

Lord, help me to use every opportunity to share Your grace with others. Let me notice that my unexpected circumstances are for Your glory. Make my faith stronger.