GOD ENCOUNTERS
2008-09-22

We had a really great day at church yesterday. The worship music went really well. And God did something amazing with the service. I love when he does stuff like this, even when it makes me look foolish. We had gotten right up to the offering time, and had just finished singing "Step By Step," when Rachel (my oldest daughter who plays guitar with us), leaned over and said "What's the offering song?" I looked at her stand and realized that she was out of music! Then I looked at mine. Oh, my gosh, I had forgotten to pull the music for "Once Again," the song I planned for the offering! I thought for a minute, and knew that I didn't know it well enough to do it from memory (the words were in the Powerpoint slides), so I walked over to the other side of the stage, where Christi was (she does the Powerpoint clicker). I told her to skip all the way to the first invitation song, which was "Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone)." Oh, and during all this time, the youth pastor was doing his offering intro, so it's not like there was "dead air," or something. So she skipped through all the sermon slides to that song, and we sang it instead. And it was, indeed, amazing. The feeling of the presence of God through it was just wonderful.

I'm firmly convinced that God had me forget that music for a reason. Even though I felt foolish, I knew that God was working and it was ok.



Psalm for Today: Psalm 97

This is the basis for the worship song, "The Lord Reigns."

Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.
His lightnings light up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
Verses 3-5



Tabletalk Magazine

Matthew 22:23-30 Marriage at the Resurrection

You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage. Verses 29-30

The majority of Matthew 22 recounts attempts by corrupt leaders to trap Jesus. Groups who normally are at odds with each other even band together for this common cause. Times haven't changed much. Eastern Orthodox have joined Muslims in the former Soviet Union to restrict evangelical work. In the words of John Calvin, "Satan brings together all the ungodly, who in other respects differ widely from each other, to attack the truth of God."

The Sadducees came to Jesus with this question about the law as it pertained to marriage. Typically, they did not believe in the resurrection at all. This is why they were "sad, you see."

HAHAHAHAHAHAH....

I'm sorry. I know it's a bad joke.

Anyway, they assumed that if the resurrection did happen, that life would be the same as our life is, and that all of the problems and issues of our lives would be transferred into it. Jesus flatly scolded them for their misunderstanding.

One thing that Jesus was very clear about was that marriage (at least the way we understand it) is definitely not part of the life to come.



Day 245 in The Message//Remix:Solo

It's review day, so I'll look back at the last 6 devotions to see what God has taught me.

Day 239--Knowing the Good Shepherd--John 10:2-5,14-18

Jesus describes our relationship with him as similar to that of his with the Father. The word "know" is used quite a few times in this passage, indicating a very intimate relationship. How are we at recognizing his voice? He calls us and leads us out to better pastures.

Day 240--Holding On To Life--John 12:20-26

We have to be willing to give up our old life, to "die," before we can be of any use to God. We must be changed from the inside out, just as the grain of wheat that dies in order to grow a new plant.

Day 241--The Friend--John 14:15-17

This was probably the best one for me this past week. I have never really thought of the Holy Spirit as my "friend" before. This has begun to be a part of my daily thinking, lately. I'm constantly reminding myself that the Holy Spirit is my Friend. It's really having a positive affect on my total outlook.

Day 242--One Heart and Mind--John 17:020-23,26

Jesus prays for us in this passage. He let us know the extent to which he has revealed the Father to us. He also lets us know how much the Father loves him, and prays that this same love will abide in us. This was almost as exciting to me as the previous entry about the Holy Spirit. These two concepts together have truly made a difference in my life in the past week.

Day 243--Take Your Finger and Examine My Hands--John 20:19-29

Thomas doesn't believe that Jesus is alive until he sees him. We believe today without seeing the physical manifestations of Jesus's suffering and resurrection. We are, according to Jesus, more blessed than Thomas. Nevertheless, Thomas did believe, without actually having to touch. It's all about faith. How far will our faith take us?

Day 244--God's Redemptive Plan--Acts 1:1-11

It's too easy to sit back and watch God at work, just as the disciples were caught looking up at the empty sky after Jesus left them. We need to be actively participating in God's redemptive plan, whether it be actually preaching the gospel, or through prayer ministries, or simply giving to ministries in order to financially support the gospel at work. There are many ways to be actively participating in God's work. We should not be idle observers.



Ok, that's it for that week. A new set starts tomorrow.

Grace and peace, friends.



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