​Well, we are close to a week away from Good Friday.   I often wonder if believers fully understand the significance of what happened on that day.  I thought I would share some thoughts on Christ’s death, and how it effects us today in 2016.

• “and behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to  bottom.”  (Matt. 27:51)    The Holy of Holies was sacred to the Jew.  It was entered only once a year, by the High Priest.  The average person had no experience or knowledge of that special place.   But now, because of Christ’s death, we all may enter that Holy place through the blood of Jesus.  We may have intimate fellowship with God on an ongoing basis.

​

• Because Christ paid our sin debt on the cross, we all may receive his divine forgiveness.   “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (I John 1:9)
• Our salvation was secured because of Christ’s obedience.  “it is finished.”  (John 19:30)

We should be grateful and thankful people for all that Jesus did for us.  Be 
sure to thank Him for saving you, and invite someone to church so that they 
may hear the gospel, and might be saved.

Blessings,
Pastor Scott

​Recently, the Lord led me to a passage of Scripture in Ephesians 3:20.   It says: “Now to the One who is able to do beyond all things superabundantly beyond and over and above those things that we are asking for ourselves and considering, in the measure of the power which is operative in us.” (Wuest)

I think we all wish God would do more in our lives.  This Scripture makes some bold promises to every child of God.  Often, our focus is on what we can do.  But God is focused on helping us to see what He can do in us and for us.

A few things to remember:  

1)  “Who is able” – God is not limited in any way.  He is all powerful.  Whatever He desires to do, He will do.  So what limits us?  Really, the truthful answer is us!  Our lack of faith in Him limits us.  We must feed our faith in Him.

2) “Above what we ask” – God desires to answer our prayers according to his will, and much farther beyond.  But sometimes we don’t ask him for anything, or we fail to expect him to answer.  

Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in California, says it this way:  

When God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we think He will,  it may be because He has something bigger and better and more important to do for us.

3)  “Above all we think” – God can exceed our imagination and expectations.  As the Bible says:  “No eye has seen, nor ear heard,  nor even entered into the mind of man, the things that God has prepared for those who love Him.”  (I Cor. 2:9)

Let’s invite God to be a part of our lives, and let Him do some great and unbelievable things!

Do you like the person you have become?  Are you satisfied with the  kind of life you are living?  Is there a hunger within you that says, “There must be more?”  I am beginning a ten week series on the book, From Good to Great in God’s eyes.  It is written by Chip Ingram.  Chip 
highlights for us ten practices that Christians can do to make progress in their spiritual journey to become the person God created them to be! Proverbs states:  “as a man thinks, so is he.”  At the foundation of who we are is the way we think.  We are the product of our thought life.  

If we want to change the way we are, we must change the way we think.  The Apostle Paul illustrated for us some goalposts we are to aim for in our thinking:  “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)  The command is to think and dwell on these things.  It speaks of reflective thinking.  My grandfather once said, “You can’t stop a bird from flying over your head, but you can stop him from making a nest on your head.”  In order for us to think great thoughts, we must make it a priority to focus on truth, and monitor what thoughts we allow into our minds.  This is so important because of the following statement:  thoughts lead to behavior, which leads to character, which leads to our destiny. 

Chip Ingram suggests several ways to think great thoughts:

• Memorize and meditate on Scripture.
  
• Use drive time – listen to sermons, scripture, or music to fill your mind.
  
• Listen to great music – choose some worship songs that lift your heart to God.
  
• Take walks in nature – take time to listen to nature speak of God’s great creation – observe His creative genius in what He has made.
  
• Use 3x5 cards and personalize truth of promises and Scripture to address your personal areas of growth.
  

So let’s begin to shape our minds by choosing to think great thoughts! Then let’s see where God will take us on our journey with Him.

Blessings,
Pastor Scott