*************************************************************
Devotional of the Week: 1 Chronicles 16:34
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.
As we enter this time of Thanksgiving, we are able to stop and ponder all of the blessings that God has bestowed upon us. The many brethren we know, the ability to serve Him, and His presence in our lives in times of trial. We stop and remember the joy as well. His enduring love in our lives is the reason for our joy. This year as you give thanks, purpose in your heart to make everyday of your life a day to give the Lord thanks with your praise and worship!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for your presence in our lives. Your selfless sacrifice on the cross was the key to eternal life to those of us who say "Jesus is Lord". Thank you for bestowing grace upon us. Even in our fallen sinful state you loved us and saved us from the muck and mire. Use us Lord that we may walk worthy of this blessing and this calling. We thank You for all things! We pray this in your mighty and eternal name, Amen!
*************************************************************
Mini-Study of the Week: Our Study in 1 Samuel will resume next week.
Happy Thanksgiving! Share your blessings and reasons for giving the Lord thanks this year to all who you cross paths with. The power of your testimony can be the key to lost souls meeting God.
*************************************************************
Video of the Week:
"Thank You Lord" - Don Moen
All of our love, devotion and worship can be summed up in 3 words... Thank You Lord!
Love each other, share His love and share His gospel...
See you next week!
In His Service,
Sergio
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Jesus Is Lord!
Special Video
I would like to begin this week by sharing this video with all of you. I am also dedicating this video to our evangelism class at church. Amanda, Maria, Jessica, Barbara, Isabel and I encourage all of you to tell the world that Jesus lives! Remember, if they breathe, they need Jesus! God bless you all!!!
"Tell the World" - Hillsong United
*************************************************************
Devotional of the Week: Romans 8:31
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Often in our Christian lives we reach a point where we are persecuted or set upon by outside forces. We have a tendency to want to buckle at the knees and in some cases maybe even feel the need to surrender. Feeling the need to surrender and actually doing so are two very different things.
We have the power to persevere and overcome. Today's devotional verse tells us this. What Paul is telling is is that if God is for us, in the sense that He has marked us out for Himself, then no one or nothing can be successful against us. If Omnipotence is working on our behalf, no lesser power can defeat His plan.
Our challenge is to believe this very simple but rich verse. Our Protector is Almighty God. Our strength is His strength and thus we are able to resist the wiles of the devil. This verse is one that we should pray to God that he inscribe it into our hearts and seal it into our minds. This way we have it as our reminder that we are under the protection of a holy, powerful and living God!
Prayer: Father God, thank you for your protective covering. We pray that when the world besets us on all sides, that we take heart and remember that You fight for us. Steel our backs Lord and help us to stand firmly and courageously. Help us to set our eyes on You Lord and to walk in your will for the rest of our earthly lives. We pray all this in Jesus' might name, Amen.
*************************************************************
Mini-Study of the Week: Read 1 Samuel Chapter 6
As we look at chapter 6 we see that the Philistines have had enough of the ark in their lands. They did keep it for 7 months though and one would wonder why they kept it so long. Understandably they were reluctant to give up such a wonderful “trophy” of what they at first felt was such a victory over the God of Israel. It can take a long time before we realize the futility of resisting God!
More than any other thing on earth, the Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of the Lord God of Israel. The Philistines (like the Israelites who carried the ark into battle) therefore thought that when they had the ark, they “had” the Lord. But they did not “have” the Lord at all. He had them, He was in control, and now they are on the defensive. God doesn’t have a problem, they do.
The Philistine priests knew enough to know they have offended the Lord God. Therefore, they know they should do something to expresses their sorrow and repentance before the Lord. The specific offering recognizes that it was the Lord who brought the plague upon the Philistines. They were saying, “We know these plagues were not accidents. We know the Lord God of Israel has caused them. We are apologizing to the Lord God and asking Him to turn away His anger.” Acknowledging God’s judgment one way to give glory to the God of Israel. We often fail to give God this glory because we ignore His judgment or write it off as fate or bad luck.
The Philistines decide how to return the ark, including a test to see if the judgment was from God or by chance. The test was simple, and stacked against God. By nature, two milk cows which have never been yoked should not pull a cart at all, but they should have resisted their yokes. Additionally, they decided to take their calves home, away from them. The “maternal instinct” of the cows would have drawn them not towards the land of Israel, but back home to their own calves. The Philistines devised a test that “forced” the God of Israel to do something miraculous to demonstrate He had really been the cause of the plagues upon them.
The cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh! What a miracle! Two cows who had never pulled a cart before, either alone or together. No driver leads them, yet they leave home, and march the ten miles or so to a city they had never been to. They leave their own calves behind, and go straight on a certain road, with never a wrong turn, never a stop, never turning aside into the fields to feed themselves, never turning back to feed their own calves.
As the cows are on the road back to Israel, can you see the Israelites mourning over the loss of the ark? Perhaps at that very moment they were crying out to God, grieving because they thought the glory had departed. Eventually the people see the ark arriving! What joy! They would have felt something like the disciples felt on the day they saw the resurrected Jesus, because they would have felt they had received God back to them from the dead. On this day as they were reaping their wheat harvest (between May and June), they knew the God of Israel was alive.
Of course, God had never been dead, and God never left them. But the Israelites felt as though God was dead, and they were as desperate, discouraged, and hopeless as if He really were dead. They split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering: They knew this was the right thing to do in honor to God, yet it really cost them something. Cows and carts were expensive property.
The Israelites were careful to let the Levites handle the ark, as was commanded by the law (Numbers 4:1-6, 15). Beth Shemesh was a priestly city (Joshua 21:16), so there were priests on hand. But some of the men sinned gravely by not only touching the ark, but also looking into it inappropriately. There are things, because of the honor and glory of God, which He has chosen to keep hidden, and it is wrong for men to pry into these secrets of God.
In their disrespect for God, the men of Beth Shemesh had offended the holiness of the Lord. Now, they know the Lord is holy, but it doesn’t make them want to be closer to God; it makes them want to distance themselves from God. They choose to send the ark to Kirjath Jearim. We don’t know why they picked this village. Perhaps they had good relations with these men and thought they would take good care of the ark. Perhaps they had bad relations with them and wanted the Lord to curse them. Whatever the reason, the men of Kirath Jearim will indeed receive the ark, and the ark will stay there some seventy years until David brings it to Jerusalem.
*************************************************************
Video of the Week:
"Free" - Hillsong
Because of the blood He shed, because of the price He paid, because He rose from the dead and reigns on high... We are FREE!
Love each other, share His love and share His gospel...
See you next week!
In His Service,
Sergio
I would like to begin this week by sharing this video with all of you. I am also dedicating this video to our evangelism class at church. Amanda, Maria, Jessica, Barbara, Isabel and I encourage all of you to tell the world that Jesus lives! Remember, if they breathe, they need Jesus! God bless you all!!!
"Tell the World" - Hillsong United
*************************************************************
Devotional of the Week: Romans 8:31
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Often in our Christian lives we reach a point where we are persecuted or set upon by outside forces. We have a tendency to want to buckle at the knees and in some cases maybe even feel the need to surrender. Feeling the need to surrender and actually doing so are two very different things.
We have the power to persevere and overcome. Today's devotional verse tells us this. What Paul is telling is is that if God is for us, in the sense that He has marked us out for Himself, then no one or nothing can be successful against us. If Omnipotence is working on our behalf, no lesser power can defeat His plan.
Our challenge is to believe this very simple but rich verse. Our Protector is Almighty God. Our strength is His strength and thus we are able to resist the wiles of the devil. This verse is one that we should pray to God that he inscribe it into our hearts and seal it into our minds. This way we have it as our reminder that we are under the protection of a holy, powerful and living God!
Prayer: Father God, thank you for your protective covering. We pray that when the world besets us on all sides, that we take heart and remember that You fight for us. Steel our backs Lord and help us to stand firmly and courageously. Help us to set our eyes on You Lord and to walk in your will for the rest of our earthly lives. We pray all this in Jesus' might name, Amen.
*************************************************************
Mini-Study of the Week: Read 1 Samuel Chapter 6
As we look at chapter 6 we see that the Philistines have had enough of the ark in their lands. They did keep it for 7 months though and one would wonder why they kept it so long. Understandably they were reluctant to give up such a wonderful “trophy” of what they at first felt was such a victory over the God of Israel. It can take a long time before we realize the futility of resisting God!
More than any other thing on earth, the Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of the Lord God of Israel. The Philistines (like the Israelites who carried the ark into battle) therefore thought that when they had the ark, they “had” the Lord. But they did not “have” the Lord at all. He had them, He was in control, and now they are on the defensive. God doesn’t have a problem, they do.
The Philistine priests knew enough to know they have offended the Lord God. Therefore, they know they should do something to expresses their sorrow and repentance before the Lord. The specific offering recognizes that it was the Lord who brought the plague upon the Philistines. They were saying, “We know these plagues were not accidents. We know the Lord God of Israel has caused them. We are apologizing to the Lord God and asking Him to turn away His anger.” Acknowledging God’s judgment one way to give glory to the God of Israel. We often fail to give God this glory because we ignore His judgment or write it off as fate or bad luck.
The Philistines decide how to return the ark, including a test to see if the judgment was from God or by chance. The test was simple, and stacked against God. By nature, two milk cows which have never been yoked should not pull a cart at all, but they should have resisted their yokes. Additionally, they decided to take their calves home, away from them. The “maternal instinct” of the cows would have drawn them not towards the land of Israel, but back home to their own calves. The Philistines devised a test that “forced” the God of Israel to do something miraculous to demonstrate He had really been the cause of the plagues upon them.
The cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh! What a miracle! Two cows who had never pulled a cart before, either alone or together. No driver leads them, yet they leave home, and march the ten miles or so to a city they had never been to. They leave their own calves behind, and go straight on a certain road, with never a wrong turn, never a stop, never turning aside into the fields to feed themselves, never turning back to feed their own calves.
As the cows are on the road back to Israel, can you see the Israelites mourning over the loss of the ark? Perhaps at that very moment they were crying out to God, grieving because they thought the glory had departed. Eventually the people see the ark arriving! What joy! They would have felt something like the disciples felt on the day they saw the resurrected Jesus, because they would have felt they had received God back to them from the dead. On this day as they were reaping their wheat harvest (between May and June), they knew the God of Israel was alive.
Of course, God had never been dead, and God never left them. But the Israelites felt as though God was dead, and they were as desperate, discouraged, and hopeless as if He really were dead. They split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering: They knew this was the right thing to do in honor to God, yet it really cost them something. Cows and carts were expensive property.
The Israelites were careful to let the Levites handle the ark, as was commanded by the law (Numbers 4:1-6, 15). Beth Shemesh was a priestly city (Joshua 21:16), so there were priests on hand. But some of the men sinned gravely by not only touching the ark, but also looking into it inappropriately. There are things, because of the honor and glory of God, which He has chosen to keep hidden, and it is wrong for men to pry into these secrets of God.
In their disrespect for God, the men of Beth Shemesh had offended the holiness of the Lord. Now, they know the Lord is holy, but it doesn’t make them want to be closer to God; it makes them want to distance themselves from God. They choose to send the ark to Kirjath Jearim. We don’t know why they picked this village. Perhaps they had good relations with these men and thought they would take good care of the ark. Perhaps they had bad relations with them and wanted the Lord to curse them. Whatever the reason, the men of Kirath Jearim will indeed receive the ark, and the ark will stay there some seventy years until David brings it to Jerusalem.
*************************************************************
Video of the Week:
"Free" - Hillsong
Because of the blood He shed, because of the price He paid, because He rose from the dead and reigns on high... We are FREE!
Love each other, share His love and share His gospel...
See you next week!
In His Service,
Sergio
Saturday, November 8, 2008
In God's House
*************************************************************
Devotional of the Week:
Psalm 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah
When we were saved by almighty God, we were allowed entry into the holy places of heaven. Here on earth, through our prayers we can enter into His throne room of grace. We can enter into the holy sanctuaries of our churches to praise Him and learn about Him. We can seek refuge there with those who are our brethren. We are blessed, we are privileged and above all we are loved by the Lord. May this thought strengthen us, and remind us of the awesome God we serve, the beautiful God we love and the Precious Savior who gave it all for our salvation!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that through your death and resurrection, through our repentance and recognition and acceptance of you as our Savior, we now have a place in the holy places of God. We truly are blessed to dwell in Your house. You are holy and worthy to be praised. We lift you up and we love you. In your mighty name we pray, Amen!
*************************************************************
Mini-Study of the Week: Read 1 Samuel Chapter 5
This week we see the power that God has over those who do not dwell in His house. Those who refuse to acknowledge Him as Lord. We see a continuation of last week's story. The ark is captured, Israel is laid waste and the enemies of God have seemingly earned a victory.
The pagan armies that have claimed the Ark of the Covenant now bring it home into one of their temples. They set it next to the idol of Dagon, who was said to be the father of Baal. After the first night the people wake to find that the statue of Dagon has been toppled. They place the image back into place and the following day wake to find that not only is the image toppled, it is now broken. It's no coincidence that the head and hands are broken. In knocking over the idol, God shows that there is no wisdom (head) and no power (hands) in worshipping idols.
God then begins to afflict the people with tumors and illness. The pagan people have no conceptual understanding of what taking the Ark of God into their pagan lands really means. God is angry and He is seeing to it that these people suffer as a result of their desecration of His ark. They decide to move the ark to two other cities but wherever they take the ark, God is there to inflict punishment. Never do the people seek to repent. They finally seek only to rid themselves of the ark so that they will no longer suffer.
We should always treasure the things of God and hold them dear. Love, compassion, power and loyalty can be turned into tools of the enemy when they are allowed to fall into the camp of those who oppose God. But when our love is in Christ's hands, we are able to love like never before. When our compassion is for the lost and for those who suffer, Christ works through us to ease hurt and sow seeds. When we do things in Christ's power, we will be able to accomplish anything for His honor and glory. When we are loyal to almighty God, He will use us to further His kingdom here on earth.
A pagan people can do nothing with what belongs to God. As His children we have the privilege of living for Him. He defied death at the cross that we may have eternal life. We should live to lift His name high!
*************************************************************
Video of the Week:
Blessed - Hillsong
His house is now OUR home. For all eternity we will praise Him, we will worship Him and we will belong to Him! Praise God in all things!
Love each other, share His love and share His gospel...
See you next week!
In His Service,
Sergio
Devotional of the Week:
Psalm 84:4 Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; They will still be praising You. Selah
When we were saved by almighty God, we were allowed entry into the holy places of heaven. Here on earth, through our prayers we can enter into His throne room of grace. We can enter into the holy sanctuaries of our churches to praise Him and learn about Him. We can seek refuge there with those who are our brethren. We are blessed, we are privileged and above all we are loved by the Lord. May this thought strengthen us, and remind us of the awesome God we serve, the beautiful God we love and the Precious Savior who gave it all for our salvation!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you that through your death and resurrection, through our repentance and recognition and acceptance of you as our Savior, we now have a place in the holy places of God. We truly are blessed to dwell in Your house. You are holy and worthy to be praised. We lift you up and we love you. In your mighty name we pray, Amen!
*************************************************************
Mini-Study of the Week: Read 1 Samuel Chapter 5
This week we see the power that God has over those who do not dwell in His house. Those who refuse to acknowledge Him as Lord. We see a continuation of last week's story. The ark is captured, Israel is laid waste and the enemies of God have seemingly earned a victory.
The pagan armies that have claimed the Ark of the Covenant now bring it home into one of their temples. They set it next to the idol of Dagon, who was said to be the father of Baal. After the first night the people wake to find that the statue of Dagon has been toppled. They place the image back into place and the following day wake to find that not only is the image toppled, it is now broken. It's no coincidence that the head and hands are broken. In knocking over the idol, God shows that there is no wisdom (head) and no power (hands) in worshipping idols.
God then begins to afflict the people with tumors and illness. The pagan people have no conceptual understanding of what taking the Ark of God into their pagan lands really means. God is angry and He is seeing to it that these people suffer as a result of their desecration of His ark. They decide to move the ark to two other cities but wherever they take the ark, God is there to inflict punishment. Never do the people seek to repent. They finally seek only to rid themselves of the ark so that they will no longer suffer.
We should always treasure the things of God and hold them dear. Love, compassion, power and loyalty can be turned into tools of the enemy when they are allowed to fall into the camp of those who oppose God. But when our love is in Christ's hands, we are able to love like never before. When our compassion is for the lost and for those who suffer, Christ works through us to ease hurt and sow seeds. When we do things in Christ's power, we will be able to accomplish anything for His honor and glory. When we are loyal to almighty God, He will use us to further His kingdom here on earth.
A pagan people can do nothing with what belongs to God. As His children we have the privilege of living for Him. He defied death at the cross that we may have eternal life. We should live to lift His name high!
*************************************************************
Video of the Week:
Blessed - Hillsong
His house is now OUR home. For all eternity we will praise Him, we will worship Him and we will belong to Him! Praise God in all things!
Love each other, share His love and share His gospel...
See you next week!
In His Service,
Sergio
Sunday, November 2, 2008
He Is Our STRENGTH
*************************************************************
Devotional of the Week:
Psalm 105:4 - Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
NFL coach Tony Dungy has seen much adversity throughout his career. In his book "Quiet Strength" he discusses what relying on God's strength has done for him in his life. In January of 2007, he along with Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith not only became the first two African American head coaches to coach in a Super Bowl, they were also two Christian coaches whose organizations give glory to God for their success. That night belonged to Tony Dungy and the Indianapolis Colts, but in his words from the platform that night, along with the words of the president of the Colts organization, that night belonged to God. In the video clip that follows, let's hear from Tony Dungy about what God's strength can mean to us:
May we always seek our strength from God's presence in our lives. He is faithful to be with us. He is faithful to lift us up! All Praises to Our Lord, for He IS GOD!!!
Prayer: Father God, thank you that in You we have all the strength we will ever need. Surround us Lord, dwell in us through the power of Your Spirit, strengthen us to do Your will in all things. We love You and we trust You all the days of our life. In Jesus name, Amen!
*************************************************************
Mini-Study of the Week: Read 1 Samuel Chapter 4
As chapter 4 of our book opens, we find that the Philistines have come against Israel. Not only had the sins of Eli's sons causes the Levitical priesthood to become corrupt, but Israel as a nation had turned from God and had begun to worship idols. It does not take more than 2 verses to see that God has withdrawn his hedge of protection from His people. We see in verse 2 that 4,000 of the men of Israel are killed in the first skirmish with the Philistines.
Rather than repent and turn back to God, the Israelites do something that has through the ages become something we are prone to do ourselves when in a time of crisis. They begin by asking the right question. "Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?" They were right to recognize that it was God who had brought defeat to their camp. And yet in a moment that would have been brilliant had they heeded their own words, they committed and even worse act. They decided to try to move the hands of God.
The elders of Israel decided to bring the ark of the covenant into the camp. On face value it seems like a good idea. God's presence in our lives is what is needed when people or circumstances come against us. The leaders intent however was to have the camp gain confidence from the ark's presence rather than calling on the Lord to deliver them. The Israelites indeed rejoiced greatly when they saw the ark, and the Philistines feared greatly because they knew the reputation of Jehovah. But they encouraged themselves and drew near to the battle once more. To their amazement, Israel fled, thirty thousand foot soldiers were slain, the priests Hophni and Phinehas were killed, and the ark itself was captured!
We do not take strength from "things" associated with God. Instead we are to draw strength because God's strength is in us. In the case of the Israelites, their devotion to God had all but disappeared and they were more focused on the "idea" of God rather than the reality of Him. God's punishment was swift. He defended His honor on the battlefield. He no doubt allowed the Philistines to take possession of the ark, a symbol of incredible victory to a pagan people. (Don't worry, we will see the fate of this circumstance in the next chapter.) What He did not allow was for the Israelites to gain the idea that they could gain anything apart from Him, and apart from His strength. No amount of ceremony or tradition is enough to give us the victory. Only God's will and plan in our lives can do that. Our obedience is the channel by which God will give us His strength.
Not only are the Israelites defeated, they flee in cowardly fashion, they lose the ark, and Eli, upon receiving the news of the death of his sons and the capture of God's ark fell backward and died. In a very telling side story we see also the fate of Eli's daughter-in-law. The news of her husband and father-in-laws death, while devastating, was nothing compared to the news that the Ark of God had been captured. Upon hearing this news, she goes into labor. After an extremely difficult birth, she names her son Ichabod (inglorious) for as she states in her last breaths "the glory has departed from Israel."
When we try to do things in our own strength we fail. God is our defender , our redeemer, our strength. His will is what our lives will bear out. When we try to achieve in our own efforts, we fail. His glory departs from our lives. Our directive is to seek Him in all things, that His glory may shine through us, His beloved children.
*************************************************************
Video of the Week:
His is the only strength we need! The Lord HE is GOD!
"You Are My Strength" - Hillsong
Love each other, share His love and share His gospel...
See you next week!
In His Service,
Sergio
Devotional of the Week:
Psalm 105:4 - Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore!
NFL coach Tony Dungy has seen much adversity throughout his career. In his book "Quiet Strength" he discusses what relying on God's strength has done for him in his life. In January of 2007, he along with Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith not only became the first two African American head coaches to coach in a Super Bowl, they were also two Christian coaches whose organizations give glory to God for their success. That night belonged to Tony Dungy and the Indianapolis Colts, but in his words from the platform that night, along with the words of the president of the Colts organization, that night belonged to God. In the video clip that follows, let's hear from Tony Dungy about what God's strength can mean to us:
May we always seek our strength from God's presence in our lives. He is faithful to be with us. He is faithful to lift us up! All Praises to Our Lord, for He IS GOD!!!
Prayer: Father God, thank you that in You we have all the strength we will ever need. Surround us Lord, dwell in us through the power of Your Spirit, strengthen us to do Your will in all things. We love You and we trust You all the days of our life. In Jesus name, Amen!
*************************************************************
Mini-Study of the Week: Read 1 Samuel Chapter 4
As chapter 4 of our book opens, we find that the Philistines have come against Israel. Not only had the sins of Eli's sons causes the Levitical priesthood to become corrupt, but Israel as a nation had turned from God and had begun to worship idols. It does not take more than 2 verses to see that God has withdrawn his hedge of protection from His people. We see in verse 2 that 4,000 of the men of Israel are killed in the first skirmish with the Philistines.
Rather than repent and turn back to God, the Israelites do something that has through the ages become something we are prone to do ourselves when in a time of crisis. They begin by asking the right question. "Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines?" They were right to recognize that it was God who had brought defeat to their camp. And yet in a moment that would have been brilliant had they heeded their own words, they committed and even worse act. They decided to try to move the hands of God.
The elders of Israel decided to bring the ark of the covenant into the camp. On face value it seems like a good idea. God's presence in our lives is what is needed when people or circumstances come against us. The leaders intent however was to have the camp gain confidence from the ark's presence rather than calling on the Lord to deliver them. The Israelites indeed rejoiced greatly when they saw the ark, and the Philistines feared greatly because they knew the reputation of Jehovah. But they encouraged themselves and drew near to the battle once more. To their amazement, Israel fled, thirty thousand foot soldiers were slain, the priests Hophni and Phinehas were killed, and the ark itself was captured!
We do not take strength from "things" associated with God. Instead we are to draw strength because God's strength is in us. In the case of the Israelites, their devotion to God had all but disappeared and they were more focused on the "idea" of God rather than the reality of Him. God's punishment was swift. He defended His honor on the battlefield. He no doubt allowed the Philistines to take possession of the ark, a symbol of incredible victory to a pagan people. (Don't worry, we will see the fate of this circumstance in the next chapter.) What He did not allow was for the Israelites to gain the idea that they could gain anything apart from Him, and apart from His strength. No amount of ceremony or tradition is enough to give us the victory. Only God's will and plan in our lives can do that. Our obedience is the channel by which God will give us His strength.
Not only are the Israelites defeated, they flee in cowardly fashion, they lose the ark, and Eli, upon receiving the news of the death of his sons and the capture of God's ark fell backward and died. In a very telling side story we see also the fate of Eli's daughter-in-law. The news of her husband and father-in-laws death, while devastating, was nothing compared to the news that the Ark of God had been captured. Upon hearing this news, she goes into labor. After an extremely difficult birth, she names her son Ichabod (inglorious) for as she states in her last breaths "the glory has departed from Israel."
When we try to do things in our own strength we fail. God is our defender , our redeemer, our strength. His will is what our lives will bear out. When we try to achieve in our own efforts, we fail. His glory departs from our lives. Our directive is to seek Him in all things, that His glory may shine through us, His beloved children.
*************************************************************
Video of the Week:
His is the only strength we need! The Lord HE is GOD!
"You Are My Strength" - Hillsong
Love each other, share His love and share His gospel...
See you next week!
In His Service,
Sergio
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