WHO HAS YOUR HEART? That’s a good question! In fact, it’s a great question that each of us need to answer for ourselves! Someone once said that the best way to discover who someone really is, what they are really about … in other words, who has their heart ~ is to look in their checkbook! A revealing thread will run through the ledger or online statement – that shows where our heart is really at. The entries will reveal if our lives are all about “us” … or if God has our heart, and “giving our first-fruits” and “tithing to our church” and “giving to missions” and “sharing with worthwhile organizations and charities” shows up all throughout the monthly statement. The entries will reveal the amount of devotion we have to whoever or whatever has our heart … and whether we give all we can, even sacrificially, or whether we make a last-second, without-much-thought, decision to give God whatever little bit might be left over. Another “revealer gauge” of who has our heart … is how we spend our time. There are the work hours away from home, the work hours at home, and all kinds of involvements outside of the home. But if we had a ledger or on-line banking for the hours of each day and it showed how we spent them – where, and for how long – what would that reveal about us? Would it show that God has our heart? That our family has our heart? Or would it show that those two most-important arenas of our lives suffer because of striving to meet our needs, and in many cases, our wants. Oh, I know … there is nothing wrong with “wanting” some things; after all Jesus talked about giving us the desires of our hearts. But there was a catch to being given those desires. Hear what He said, “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart”. (Psalm 37:4, NIV) And just what does it mean to “delight” ourselves in the Lord? It means to “please highly, to enjoy”. And how do we ever please anyone “highly” … without spending time with them? Without being in their presence? Without putting them first? Without finding joy in them? Any relationship we have where the other person is highly pleased by us and who knows that we enjoy being with them, will grow and flourish. And out of that mutual enjoyment, the other person will seek to shower us with things and in ways that please us! There’s the desires of our heart – right there! Do you see, though, that it doesn’t happen without us first making that decision to take action to “delight” ourselves in the Lord? “Delight” as used here, is a verb, an action word! We have to DO something to receive something! But the investment is well worth the dividends we will reap! Now, back to the “giving” thing. For a moment, at least. I’ve heard it said that “we work so we can live – but if we give, then we can live.” Sometimes we kind of have it backwards. But we can still learn from the principles that God put in His Word for us to live by. He wanted us to get it right, so that we can receive the blessings He just has waiting to give out to us. But first, we have to do what He tells us to do. It’s like a little child – as we’re training them and teaching them. They put up a fuss and demand a cookie or an ice cream cone before lunch. We tell them, “If you eat your meat and veggies first, then I will give you the treat you want!” But what happens if the child refuses to comply? Well, if we’re the parent we should be, they will not receive the sweets. God’s Word has something to say about this principle … let’s see what it is: “Honor God with everything you own; give Him the first and the best. Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.” (Proverbs 3:9-10, The Message Bible) We will receive blessings … but not until we DO what He instructs us to do first. When we DO what He knows is best for us, then He will GIVE to us blessings beyond our wildest expectations! You see, He’s the Father … we’re the child. He loves to treat us, but He will not reward us for not obeying, for not desiring to please Him. And who of us doesn’t desire blessings? Who of us doesn’t desire to see our dreams come true? What we need to know most importantly, though; is that the greatest, most precious, priceless blessing of all … will be the intimacy we share in with our Heavenly Father when we desire to give Him our best, when we desire to please Him, when we desire to put Him first, above all else. Anything else we receive, will just be an added bonus! The richest treat will be knowing our Father better ~ more intimately than we’ve ever known Him in our life! So … once again, WHO HAS YOUR HEART? We hope that your answer is: GOD!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
- TIME IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD is never wasted time! As we began our worship time, God impressed on our hearts so heavily the need to start with prayer for those in our midst who wanted to share special needs. As Pastor Doug prayed for each one, several of us laid hands on them and joined in praying over them, claiming victory in the Name of Jesus! We know God is at work in their situations, doing what He does best!
- WELCOME BACK to Tanner, who has not been able to worship with us for awhile; it was great having you back with us! God bless you!
- SPECIAL BIRTHDAY WISHES to our youngest grandson, Miles, who celebrates his 2nd birthday on Sunday. the 23rd! Grampa and Gramma love you SO much! And special birthday wishes to Melony, whose birthday is on May 26th! May God bless both of you with an extra fun day, and blessings all year long!
- LOOKING AHEAD . . .
- THIS SUNDAY, MAY 23RD:
- 10:00 A.M. – WORSHIP & PRAISE, with a special message in store about “sharing Christ”! You’ll have to come and hear it! You’ll definitely be blessed, so don’t miss it!!
- 11:15 A.M. – SUNDAY SCHOOL – with classes for all ages – with timely, interesting, enjoyable lessons taught by teachers who love the Lord and are excited about sharing what they’ve prepared! See Jimmy for some free study tapes that will enhance your study of God’s Word!
- 6:00-7:30 P.M. - YOUTH: RE: FUEL session/activity with Justin … check in with him for the details and plans, and don’t miss this awesome time together! Get on your cell and invite some friends, because we want to continue growing your group and making it the best it can be!
- NEXT SUNDAY, JUNE 6th: WORSHIP/SUNDAY SCHOOL, followed by a POTLUCK DINNER and SING YOUR HEART OUT EVENT! Meat/beverages/table service will be furnished; bring a dish to pass!
- SUNDAY, JUNE 13th: CHILDREN’S SUNDAY … with message, songs, and fun all focused on the kids! Of course, any and all ages will enjoy this service, so plan to be there and worship with us!
- PLAN TO BE INVOLVED: RELAY FOR LIFE/Mid-July … WOMEN OF FAITH/Mid-October
- PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES . . .
- GOD LOVES FOR US TO ASK, EXPECT, AND THANK HIM when we come with needs! We should never forget to praise the Giver for WHO He is, and not just for WHAT He does or gives! Let’s lift up Tina, Julia & her brother, Hazel’s brother & sister-in-law, LaFawn’s brother, miracles for relationships and for housing, and for several unspoken requests. Let’s trust God for the answers as we seek His perfect will!
- THIS WEEK . . . Remember, “God puts each fresh morning, each new chance of life, into our hands as a gift to see what we will do with it.” ~ Unknown
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
