Greater And Greater

December 6, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Trust

Greater And Greater

And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭5:10‬

God Was With Him

David was a man after God’s own heart. David loved the Lord and God was with him to give him strength and wisdom. He was chosen by God to be king. As David’s kingdom grew the more people he was entrusted with. God’s power was revealed through David. Even though David held much power he was never more powerful than God. It was God who made him greater and greater.

David was a portrait of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. David knew God on a personal level. He was not what people would expect a king to look like. In the same way Jesus was not what the Jews expected. Jesus came as a humble servant for the poor. The Jews expected someone with power to bring peace and prosperity. Instead Jesus was meek and humble giving attention to those who were sick and sinful. Jesus came and most didn’t recognize that He was the Messiah.

God is not looking for strong, powerful men. He is looking for men who are able to be changed. God will take a small, uneducated man and make him greater and greater. God wants to show His glory through men who can give Him honor and show others how powerful God is. God desires for husbands and fathers to be the leader of their home. They are the shepherds, pastors, and spiritual leaders of their family. God will give strength and wisdom to the ones who are humbled and under God’s direction. Seek to be the one who God uses to reveal His glory to shine for those who need to see who He is.

Prayer

Lord, use me to shine Your glory and light into this dark, sinful world. Lord give us Christian homes to train up more Christian leaders.

Joy And Peace

December 5, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Faith, Salvation

Joy And Peace

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13

The Source of Peace And Joy

God wants you to be filled with joy? He also wants you to experience peace in all areas of your life. He wants you to have peace with your family, peace with your friends, peace with your church family, and peace with the world. He wants you to have peace within your work, your play and your worship. The only way to experience peace and joy is through a right relationship with Jesus Christ.

The reason most people don’t have peace and joy in their life is because they are missing the free gift of salvation. God gives us peace and joy through our faith in Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Because we are born with a sin nature we are naturally at war with God. Once we surrender and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ we are at peace and all sin is forgiven.

Another reason why most people don’t have peace and joy in their life is because they are seeking to be filled with worldly pleasures instead of the hope of God. Even as a Christian we can get caught up in the trap of worldly living. If we are not careful we will find ourselves seeking pleasure in things that will only last temporarily and will soon fade away. However if we keep our minds and hearts set on the things of God we will enjoy the peace and joy that only God can give.

Prayer

Ask the Lord to fill your heart with peace and joy and then seek the things of God.

Worthy Of The Gospel

December 4, 2019 Pastor Stephen Dedman Encouragement, Faith, Trust

Worthy Of The Gospel

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:27‬

Living For Jesus

Paul lived a Christian life that was radically different from his life before knowing Jesus. Jesus made a difference in his life. After the road to Damascus experience, Paul was on mission to make sure people knew Jesus as Lord and Savior. It wasn’t just a job, it was his life.

As Christians we are to live worthy of the gospel of Christ. Christ did something that no one else could do. He paid the ultimate penalty for sin. If we really consider the cost involved we would desire to live for Christ with all of our capabilities. However, sometimes we tend to forget about the grace and compassion that was done on our behalf. We never need to forget what Jesus did for us. If we would always have Jesus on our mind we would always be productive in building the Kingdom of Heaven.

Paul sets the example of one of the greatest Christians who ever lived. He had his faults of course, but he sets and example of how we are to live our lives. We are to have the mind of Christ at all times. To have the mind of Christ is to have the Gospel in our hearts. Reading and hearing the Word of God should be the most important thing we do as Christians. We should never be too busy to read and meditate on His Word. Once we have the Word on our mind and in our hearts we can live a life that is worthy of the Gospel.

Prayer

Lord, I want to search you with all of my heart, mind and soul. Help me to dig into your Word with eagerness and passion.