Monthly Archives: April 2009

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You Ain’t So Bad!

Yesterday, we took a look at the “Family Tree” of Jesus found in Matthew 1:1-17!  In this family tree, we discover that Jesus had a rather scandalous group of ancestors.  It is a very amazing and beautiful thing that God would allow all of these ordinary and messed up people to be a part of His Grand Plan Of Salvation.

One of the people that we talked about yesterday was King David.  We read about David in I & II Samuel.  David is one of my favorite people to read about in the Bible, because he was so normal!  He was just an ordinary shepherd boy that God used in a mighty way to defeat a giant!  He did some great things and made some huge mistakes!  David had a regular line of successes and screw-ups!

The thing that made David special was the fact that he had a heart for God!  He was not some religious “goody goody.”  He was just a normal guy, that believed in God and loved having a relationship with Him.  David reminds me that God loves me – no matter what!  He loves me when I succeed and He loves me when I fail.  God’s love for me is not based in my successes or failures!  God’s love is a free and amazing gift and this amazing love motivates me to want to live for Him!

Take some time today to think about how much God loves you and don’t buy into the lie that God’s love is something that you have to earn.  Just accept it and enjoy it and live in the power of all that His love brings to you!

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GRACE!

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Old Well At Campbell's Covered Bridge!

Old Well At Campbell's Covered Bridge!

This Sunday I will be preaching the second message in our Matthew series.  We will be taking a look at the genealogy of Jesus recorded in Matthew 1:1-17.  All week long as I have been studying and preparing for this message, I have just had an overwhelming sense of God’s Grace!  

I don’t deserve any of the good that God has allowed me to experience and share!  I deserve – well I don’t even want to get into what I deserve, because it ain’t pretty!

If we are all honest – God is better to us than we deserve!  Take some time before Sunday to think about God and His grace and how it has made a difference in your life.  Also take some time to think about how you can open up your life to receive and appreciate more of God’s grace!

I hope to see you at one of our two campuses on Sunday!  Grace to you – until then!

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Do You Really Trust God?

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Proverbs 3:5-6

We all know this verse and we all quote this verse and we all forget to apply this verse!  Our first temptation is to always lean on our on understanding.  We only get around to trusting God, when we have exhausted all of the other options!  We try to manipulate our paths and make them straight and when we can’t do that we will take any available short cut that might seem like an out.

When life is not working the way that you want it to work, then what you need to do is stop right where you are and start trusting God.  Don’t take another step until you have determined in your heart that you are going to trust God!  Now, once you have decided to trust Him, make sure that you are really trusting Him by trusting Him with all of your heart.

You know that you are trusting God with all of your heart, when you have gotten rid and thrown to the side your understanding!  Now your goal is to acknowledge God and let Him work on the paths that you are traveling on!

I hope this little reminder is good for all of us:  Trust the Lord!  Throw your understanding away!  Target God and His will!  Transition to letting Him do it for you!