Monday, August 16

Psalm 27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

King Jesus, hear the cry of my heart to be more like YOU! Help me to surrender my selfish ambition and release my weaknesses to you.

Matt. 7:7-12
7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

9"Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

These past two weeks should have been preparing me for the weekend’s sermon and the five devotionals ahead. Sterling reflected on NO WORRIES and Ken’s thoughts gave me the assurance that I was not going to be “judged” being the final preacher in the series. But what I am getting at is that I both worried and feared being judged. Bottom line…living as Jesus outlines in the Sermon on the Mount is NOT as simple as the sermon text preaches in Matthew 5-7! Can I get an AMEN!

Who is still hiding their light under a bowl, holding back their generosity, getting worried, judging others so quickly after last weeks message. Honestly, I have never been as convicted as I am while writing this at how undeserving of God’s extravagant love I am. I disappoint and God responds with relentless love.

My encouragement again today is to rest in your Father’s (Abba…Daddy’s) arms and feel His embrace back and his unconditional love! I often believe that one of the best phrases that an adolescent can hear as they begin to process their new life in Christ is: Nothing you can do or not do stops God from loving you through and through. His love is amazing and unchanging as the chorus reminds us!

I can’t imagine many adolescents are reading this 10 minutes with God, but the above is a TRUTH regardless of your age or stage of life. Get up in God’s lap and…Close your time with God by asking him to reveal all the attributes of a disciple that you lack and begin to persistently pray with confidence that God will give you his Best.

Bruce McEvoy
Pastor of Family and Serving