church

God’s Masterpiece

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Masterpiece: a work of outstanding artistry, skill, or workmanship

In Paul’s day artists used iron oxide, lime or even arsenic to create their color pallette They were willing to draw from any source no matter how crude to create beauty. Heaven’s master designer draws His pallette from strange people like us and blends us together to be His masterpiece, the church. So if this morning it seems like you are being painted into a corner with folks who are a bit odd just relax. It may be that today God will apply some brush strokes of a new color in you to show His amazing love to a wondering world!

Crucified with Christ

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Once near the end of his life Samuel Clemens was so sick that the newspaper reported that he had died. When Mr Clemens awoke to read story he quipped “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated!”

Paul shares a similarly astonishing report with his friends at church. He was in fact dead! But hold the presses because in fact he was still living! But wait there’s more! It isn’t me alive..it is Jesus in me that lives!

Strange and wonderful as that may seem it can be equally true for any of us. The moment we 100% trust our daily life to Christ we die…but wait because He lives by faith in us the news is we are still alive and will be for all eternity!

Great Expectations

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Sometimes the line between rights and expectations gets a little blurry. There is now plenty of debate about the right to bear arms. The two warring factions on this subject haven’t even waited for the funerals to finish before they are at each others throats. What is at the heart of the flame and fury is a battle over the right to bear arms. It may not be a right but it is a reasonable expectation to believe going to church, a shopping mall or a concert should not be risky choices. You go with your family to church expecting to return, but for 25 innocent people last Sunday that didn’t happen.

There is no solution able to create a perfect society but Jesus is quite clear about His expectations for His children. We are to love even when it is dangerous to do so. We are to give even when nothing is given to us in return. We are to believe fearlessly even when the world tells us we have no right to do so. We do all these in faith because God has a right to our lives and we have the great expectation that He will freely forgive our sins and welcome us home to heaven!

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. Matthew 5:44-45