Calendar Updates

 Rehearsals for the Christmas Performace will be on December 2 and 16 at noon.

Christmas Dinner will be on December 9 at 5 PM

There will be no Evening Service on the following dates:

November 23
December 24
December 31

Be Grateful Week

While we shouldn't just choose one week or one month to be grateful, sometimes we need a little reminder to express our gratitude to God, the Father, for all He has done for us. Sometimes we take for granted little things that, without Him, we wouldn't have. So I suggest that you pause, look around you, and notice the things that give you pleasure, that make your life a better thing, and ask yourself if you've put aside time to thank the Lord, our God, for providing them.

Gratitude

Gratitude

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands… Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name – Psalm 100:1,4

Thanksgiving above all involves communication with God. This is why the psalmist specifies that our thanksgiving is to be “unto the Lord”, within “his gates” and “his courts”, and expressed “unto him”. Thanksgiving only takes place when we are talking to God.

We can try to develop a contented heart, we can express to others how grateful we are – but it is not thanksgiving until we are talking to God and expressing our appreciation to him directly. Contentedness is not thanksgiving. Expressing a general sense of “being blessed” is not thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is you telling God, “Thank you!” Therefore, thanksgiving is only happening when prayer is happening.

However, it is also true that there is a public aspect to giving thanks. This is why gratitude is in the Bible constantly connected to the public proclamation of God’s glory. Here the psalmist exhorts “all lands” to make a joyful noise. Even while we are talking to God, there is also an element of thanksgiving that is public worship and proclamation as well.

So thanksgiving is first and foremost prayer. Yet it is not biblical thanksgiving if it remains only and always private. True thanksgiving overflows in public, prayerful proclamation of the goodness and glory of God. Thanksgiving is private, grateful prayer gone public!

Showing Genuine Love for Others

BIBLE MEDITATION:
 “Thou hast also given me the shield of Thy salvation: and Thy right hand hath holden me up, and Thy gentleness hath made me great.” Psalm 18:35

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
Can a person donate to the poor and not have love? Can a person work in a soup kitchen for the homeless and not have love? Yes.
You say, “A person wouldn’t do that!” Oh yes, they would…if they had a guilty conscience. Sometimes it is neater to write a check or donate some used things than to give of our time.

Do you know what the world needs? Not more money, though I’m sure they’d be glad to take it. First Corinthians 13:3 says, “And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.” You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving of yourself to others.

ACTION POINT:
Ask God to show you the ways you can show His genuine love to others.

LWF - What do you make time for?

BIBLE MEDITATION:
 “For thou shalt be His witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard.” Acts 22:15

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
What is more important in your life today? Seeing your daytime soap opera or asking an unsaved neighbor over for a chance to love them to Jesus? Joining your buddies for a round of golf, or visiting your unsaved father? Going shopping with your friends, or taking the time to read the Bible to a lost person in a nursing home? Someone wisely observed, “We managed to make time during the day for what’s really important to us.”

Friend, the time is running out. We will not be witnessing in heaven. This is our earthly duty and privilege now. None of us knows how many hours we have left. We must seize the golden opportunities that God gives us daily to witness.

ACTION POINT:
A line from “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” is our challenge: “Oh, be swift, my soul to answer Him! Be jubilant, my feet! Our God is marching on.”


 

Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers. The email address this message was sent from does not accept replies.  If you would like to send a comment, prayer or praise, please visit us here.  May God continue to strengthen and encourage you by the Love Worth Finding devotions.    Copyright © 2017 Love Worth Finding Ministries, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you indicated at www.lwf.org that you wanted to receive these devotions from Love Worth Finding Ministries. Our mailing address is: Love Worth Finding Ministries 2941 Kate Bond Rd Memphis, TN 38133

Hurricane Harvey Relief

Full Gospel Christian Church is taking up collections for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. We have a list of items needed by next Sunday, September 10.

Here's what's needed:

Food - Canned and dry in sealed plastic

Water

Toothpaste and toothbrushes

Lotion

First Aid Kits

Over the counter medicines (ie aspirin, cold/stomach relief, etc)

Feminine Hygiene products/sanitary napkins

Diapers, Baby wipes

Formula/Baby food

School Supplies, pens, paper, erasers, backpacks, etc

Batteries, AA, C, D

Flashlights

Empty Gas Cans

Tarps

Pillows, blankets

Sleeping Bags

Cots

Clothes - men, women and children

Rain Boots

Cat/Dog Food

Plastic Rubber Maid style containers

Electric or hand held fans

Pastor Ken will be delivering the donations to the pick up. All we need is your generosity and compassion. Bring whatever you feel you can to church by Sunday.

We can help make a difference to the victims of this hurricane.

LWF - Saved, Sealed and Secure

BIBLE MEDITATION:  “In Whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the gospel of your salvation: in Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” Ephesians 1:13 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: What does it mean that you are sealed with the Holy Spirit? First, it is a mark of authenticity. If the Holy Spirit is not in you, then you are a fake. First John 3:24 says, “And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.” Second, the seal is a mark of ownership, like the branding of a cow. You are His. Romans 8:9 says, “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” Third, the seal is a mark of security. Esther 8:8 tells about this type of seal, which “no man can reverse.” ACTION POINT: The way I am kept saved is because God sealed me. The way you are kept saved, is because God has sealed you. Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers. The email address this message was sent from does not accept replies.  If you would like to send a comment, prayer or praise, please visit us here.  May God continue to strengthen and encourage you by the Love Worth Finding devotions.

Copyright © 2017 Love Worth Finding Ministries, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you indicated at www.lwf.org that you wanted to receive these devotions from Love Worth Finding Ministries. Our mailing address is: Love Worth Finding Ministries 2941 Kate Bond Rd Memphis, TN 38133

LWF - Which Grace Do You Need Most Today?

BIBLE MEDITATION: “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 1 Peter 4:10 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: The Bible speaks of the “manifold” grace of God. What does that mean? It means we can experience God’s grace in many ways. For instance, there is singing grace. When Paul and Silas were in prison, God gave them grace to sing (see Acts 16:25). There is speaking grace. Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” God will give you the ability to talk about your troubles with His grace. God also gives us strengthening grace. Timothy was often sick with many infirmities. Paul told him to “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 2:1). ACTION POINT: Which do you need today? Singing grace? Speaking grace? Strengthening grace? All three? Spend time in the Word of God today and draw from the manifold grace of God. Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers. The email address this message was sent from does not accept replies.  If you would like to send a comment, prayer or praise, please visit us here.  May God continue to strengthen and encourage you by the Love Worth Finding devotions.

LWF = Who Will You Be?

BIBLE MEDITATION: “And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.” Luke 18:29-30 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: God has given you abilities and God wants you to take those abilities and invest them in Him. Friend, it is a sin for you to be less than what God called you to be. Sure, you may not be the next Einstein, Babe Ruth, Betty Crocker, or Billy Graham. But that’s not the point. The danger is that you will not do what you can do. ACTION POINT: There are three people inside you…who you are right now, who you could be for evil if you allowed the devil to get a hold of you, and who you could be for God. I pray you will let go of this world with both hands and give your all to God for Him to use you. Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers. The email address this message was sent from does not accept replies.  If you would like to send a comment, prayer or praise, please visit us here.  May God continue to strengthen and encourage you by the Love Worth Finding devotions.

Copyright © 2017 Love Worth Finding Ministries, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you indicated at www.lwf.org that you wanted to receive these devotions from Love Worth Finding Ministries. Our mailing address is: Love Worth Finding Ministries 2941 Kate Bond Rd Memphis, TN 38133

7 Ways to Cultivate Joy

7 Ways to Cultivate Joy by Want more joy in your day? Cultivate it! Joy springs from viewing the day's events from eternity's perspective. With this intentional focus, you're sure to see today differently — with more joy and conviction that God is at work in your life. 1. Rehearse with God the reasons you trust Him. Tell Him which of His attributes is your favorite right now. Read the praises of Scripture back to Him — begin with Psalms 103:1. Join with another believer in prayers of thanksgiving, and delight yourself in His character. 2. Keep a "joy journal." Record the reasons you have to rejoice and the reminders of God's faithfulness that you encounter in your everyday life. In addition, why not press a leaf from your prayer walks into its pages or include a photo of a person that brings you joy each time you remember him or her? Think big — expand your journal into a "joy box" or a "joy drawer" that brings floods of joy each time you open it. 3. Surround yourself with joyful people. Joy is contagious — so build relationships with friends whose lives exhibit their confidence in God. Pray for each other that your joy in Christ would continue to increase. 4. Approach life's challenges and trials redemptively.God doesn't waste the difficult circumstances of your life but uses them to develop His character in you. Review Romans 5:1 and James 1:1 for help in processing pressure productively. Joy will sneak up on you when you view your hardest lessons as gifts from God. 5. Make praise and gratitude a habit. Has God met a need? Praise Him! Have your challenges given you greater opportunities to see Him work? Thank Him! Joy flows from a grateful and responsive heart. Before you turn in at night, write down three to five blessings in your "joy journal." Make it a habit, and watch your joyful attitude grow. 6. Fill your mind with music. Listen to, sing, and meditate on music that draws your heart nearer to God and His Word. 7. Take the long view. Investors advise their clients not to worry about the daily ups and downs of the stock market — what matters is the long view. Does life present incredible challenges today? Are your reserves at a low, or are you enjoying a content plateau? Regardless of today's events, take the long view. Remember that God remains in charge of your days and will faithfully develop His character in you. Remember, joy springs from viewing the day's events from eternity's perspective. Trust that God controls your life's details (Romans 8:28), that He hears your every request (Psalms 116:1), and that His joy will be your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Adapted from "Seven Ways to Cultivate Joy," Insights(March 2001): 2. Copyright © 2001 by Insight for Living. All rights reserved worldwide. Content provided by oneplace.com.

LWF - How to Understand the Bible

BIBLE MEDITATION:
“I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Thy precepts.”
Psalm 119:100
 
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
People sometimes can’t understand why they don’t understand the Bible. Well, the way to understand the Bible is to obey the Bible. And the way to understand the verses you don't understand is to obey the verses you do understand.
 
“More than the ancients” is a way of saying the accumulative wisdom of the ages. David is saying, “ I haven't been off to the university perhaps, or I haven't studied abroad, but I keep God's Word and therefore God reveals to me His truth.”
 
The only way you can really understand the Bible is for God to reveal it to you, and God doesn't reveal it to rebels.
 
ACTION POINT:
Keep God's Word, and through it God will reveal His truth. Some of you know what God wants you to do, but you're not doing it. And you wonder why you've come up against a roadblock when you try to read the Bible.

LWF - Yes, God Is Holding Us Accountable!

BIBLE MEDITATION: “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments.” Daniel 9:5 DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Daniel prayed, “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and Thy judgments.” You ask, “Did Daniel do all that?”  No, Daniel simply included himself in his prayer for his nation. Does God hold me accountable for the abortion in America?  Yes!  Does God hold me accountable for the pornography? Yes!  For the drug addiction, alcoholism, materialism, humanism? Yes, He does. Friend, if the church had done what she ought to have done, and if we would do what we ought to do, then these problems would be healed.  And while we may not commit these sins, they are still our sins. Verse 20 of this same chapter makes it so clear: “While I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel….” Now, people who don’t know God aren’t going to confess the sin of this nation. Like Daniel, we must set our face and pray with reflection and repentance, confessing our sin and the sin of America. Only sin that is confessed is forgiven. ACTION POINT: Have you ever set your face to prayer?  So much of our prayer, I hate to say, is casual prayer, prayer that comes with almost a take-it-or-leave-it attitude.  When are we going to set our face before God with fasting and determination?

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Devotions taken from the messages of Adrian Rogers. The email address this message was sent from does not accept replies.  If you would like to send a comment, prayer or praise, please visit us here.  May God continue to strengthen and encourage you by the Love Worth Finding devotions.