Into A Pit

August 23, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Faith, Trust

Into A Pit

So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the robe of many colors that he wore. And they took him and threw him into a pit.
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭37:23-24‬a

No Way Out

Joseph was a victim of circumstances. He told his family about the dreams he had of them all bowing down before him. His brothers were jealous and his father showed him favoritism by giving him a special colorful robe to wear. He was eleventh in line of inheritance but the first son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel. No doubt Joseph was hated by his brothers and getting rid of him was their choice of action. Instead of killing him they all agreed to throw him into a waterless pit. He didn’t stay in the pit long though before he was sold to a passing caravan of Ishmaelites and then sold into Egyptian slavery.

God had a special plan and purpose for Joseph. He was treated harshly for simply sharing about the dreams he was given. Sometimes we find ourselves in a pit just like Joseph. We simply mind our own business and evil things happen to us while we don’t deserve them. This is the reality of life. As we live in an evil world, evil things will happen to good people. The most important thing we can do is keep our head up and our minds on Christ. Even though we cannot control some of our circumstances, we can control our attitude and behavior. We can keep shining the light of Jesus as we suffer so others will see Jesus in us.

God might have you in pit right now for a reason. If you find yourself in a bad situation make sure to make the best of the situation by keeping a positive attitude and pointing others to Christ.

Prayer

Lord, I pray my life will be an example for others to see who You are and to show Your glory and grace.

My Redeemer Lives

July 31, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Trust

My Redeemer Lives

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.
‭‭Job‬ ‭19:25‬

Because He Lives

The resurrection of Jesus is the single most important day for Christians. The Bible declares the wonderous story of Jesus defeating not only sin but death as well. From the oldest book in the Bible, Job foretells the resurrection of Jesus Christ thousands of years before it took place.

Because Jesus lives we have hope and assurity that we too will be resurrected. We will have a glorified body that will never die, never grow old, never ache, never thirst, never hunger, nor will we ever sin! That’s the greatest promise that we have from our risen Savior. One day soon He will break the clouds and call His children home and forever we will be with Him.

Today, we can celebrate because we know that Jesus is alive and is at the right hand of the throne of God. All of Heaven is singing praises to Him and awaiting the time for all of us to gather together with them at the throne of God. What a glorious day that will be. In the meantime, we patiently wait upon the Lord.

Our hope is in Jesus because He came back alive. No one else has the power or might to do such a miraculous work. We offer up to Him our bodies as living sacrifices that are pleasing unto Him. He is worth our praise and sacrifice. He is worthy to be called the Son of the Living God. He alone is our Salvation and Redeemer. He purchased us with His blood and delights in calling us His Bride.

Prayer

Thank You Jesus for all that You are and all that You have done. Today we seek to praise and honor you.

Blessed Is The Nation

July 4, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Faith, Trust

Blessed Is The Nation

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭33:12‬ ‭

Let Freedom Ring

Our first President, George Washington, was quoted saying, “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.” America, the Beautiful, was founded on the principles of freedom of religion. Our forefathers established this great nation with the mindset that there could be a nation whose God is Lord.

Over the years we have witnessed a decline in Christian values and belief. Our religious freedoms are actually disappearing right before our eyes. People are swiftly slipping away from Christian belief. Churches are declining in attendance and effectiveness. Christians are remaining silent when it comes to proclaiming lordship. Is it possible that one day we will not be a Christian nation?

Jesus invested into His disciples who made new disciples who made new disciples and then eventually those disciples came to a land of freedom. We must keep making disciples who will make new disciples. If we want to continue to exist as a Christian nation we must invest in people who will call Jesus, Lord and Savior. As a Christian, you have a duty to uphold the faith and invest in other people. How many disciples have you made? Do you remember who invested in you as you were made into a disciple? The work must continue if we are going to be a Christian nation whose God is the Lord.

Prayer

Lord, put someone in my life so that I can invest into them and make them a disciple of Jesus Christ.