Church Family,
I hope and trust that everyone had a great Christmas. I want to encourage you to take some time to enjoy this time of year, but I also know that a new year quickly approaches.
This is also the time of year for new year’s resolutions, vision casting, making goals, etc. All those things can be very beneficial, but let me also give this warning from the book of James.
James 4:13-17 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”16As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Sadly, I read where a woman claiming to be a believer told a family who’s daughter was sick, that the sickness would leave immediately. This woman claimed the power of God and by her command, the sickness would leave. No mention of the will of God, but rather what she was claiming and casting out. When the daughter died, I wonder what the family thought of God and of this woman. What arrogance on her part! The Bible is not against planning or praying, in fact, the Bible is very much for both of these. We must remember at all times though, that we are living for the glory of God and His will. Not ours.
With that being said, Lord willing, here is what I believe God is calling our church to do this year.(Friday we may discuss some of the steps to accomplish these goals).
Reminders:
Big Question: With the new year beginning, is there a book of the bible that you would like for me to go through as part of our Monday, Wednesday, and Friday email devotional? Are there any changes that you would like to see made to make the email/devotional better?
Love, Serve, Go
Brian Winburn