Posts Tagged ‘God’
Lectionary Scriptures for 11-2-14
October 27, 2014Lectionary Readings for 10-26-14
October 20, 2014Lectionary Readings for 10-12-14
October 6, 2014Lectionary Readings for 10-5-14
September 29, 2014Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings
September 23, 2014Philippians 2:1-5
2:1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy,
2:2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
2:3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves.
2:4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.
When Paul was writing this letter to the Philipians he must have really been trying to encourage them to change a lot about themselves. While Paul was writing to a church to thank them for being so faithful and generous, in so many ways he is asking them to go against so much of their own human nature. We just have to look at the two human traits that are so prevalent in so many people, selfish ambition and conceit, to know that there were some problems within the church at Philippi. It is natural for us to want more, to do better than others, to be honored in our daily lives. It is so natural that Satan will surely use those things against us and keep us from being the people that Paul is encouraging us to be. We get caught up in our own lives, thinking about our own needs and forget about just what Jesus taught us to do and who He taught us to be.
So you ask how can we be those people. How can we put aside our own feelings and desires and serve God. Well, Paul gave us the answer and it is in this next scripture below.
2:5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus
If we study scripture, read the teachings of Jesus, pray and meditate, allow the Holy Spirit to penetrate our thoughts and profess our faith to others we will move closer and closer to to being in the same mind that was in Jesus Christ. Our God graced us with Jesus Christ so that we would have a different model to follow than the one our flesh would follow.
Jesus said He was the way, the truth and the life! Study, Believe and Live,
Have a blessed day in Jesus Christ,
Randy
Lectionary Readings for 9-28-14
September 22, 2014Pastor’s Ponderings, Wanderings, Wonderings
September 1, 2014Day four:
1. Thankful for my brother and sister’s spouses. Dianne and Mike have been a blessing throughout the years. Our Mom’s and Dad’s must have given us each a sense to choose the right person because we all have been married over 40 years. We all plan to stay that way as long as possible.
2. Thankful for Jeannie and Ken Perkins who taught me so much about our faith. Jeannie who sponsored me on the Walk to Emmaus. It was on this walk that I verbally spoke about God leading me into a different life. A walk with Him. I have been walking in Paradise with Him every day since then. Thanks to Ken for his gentle nature and easy flowing love for God. Ken still is that very same person.
3. Thankful for all my Pastors who taught me that it is okay to be me and love God because I am me. The different personalities of people like Art Pry, Rudy Pace, Ed Barlow, Lindsey Smith and Kevin Kissel were key in helping me understand that God wants us to be individuals who think and witness to how God’s love has inspired them. It is through such diversity that God is able to reach out and touch so many different people.
Pastor’s Ponderings, Wonderings, Wanderings
August 29, 2014My good friend Jeannie Perkins challenged me on Facebook to list three things daily that I am thankful for. This will be my first day and I will try to post each day on Facebook and here too. Hope everyone has a blessed day and that through your faith in Jesus Christ you will be able to love more deeply.
Posting three things I am thankful for, for five days. This is day one:
1. Of course, first and foremost, I am thankful for God who sent His Holy Spirit to lead and guide me with gentleness and patience. Lots and lots of patience.
2. I give glory and honor to God because it is through Him that I met my beautiful wife, 43 years of marriage, it seems like just yesterday.
3. I am so very thankful for grandchildren, (5). Lots of joy and blessings come through those little ones as we watch them grow.
And a reminder to all, that truly all things good come from our God. Give Him glory and honor at all times. Claim Jesus Christ as your savior. Put Him first in your life and things of this world can be seen in a different “light”.
Wesley Newsletter for September 2014
August 26, 2014The monthly newsletter is now posted. Look in the right hand column of the website at http://www.orangewesley.org. Go to the pages section and click on monthly newsletters. Click on the page you would like to read and it should expand out to be readable. Let me know if it doesn’t work so I can make adjustments as necessary. Hope everyone has a blessed day in Jesus Christ.
Pastor Randy
Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX 