Friday, February 22, 2013

ELEVATION NORTH has NEWS for YOU!

 
OUR IDENTITY … AND OVER-TIME!  What do they have in common, if anything?  Just what makes us who we are? Well, if we are God’s children, His Word tells us that we are created in His image.  That infers that we must look like Him.  Well, at least we are to resemble Him enough that we are actually a reflection of Him.  Wow!  That’s pretty incredible!  It’s one thing to think that I have my dad’s eyes or my mom’s nose, or that I sound like my siblings when others hear our voices.  But to think that I really look like my Father?  My Father in Heaven, that is?  Mind-boggling, to say the least.  Oh, yes … our minds.  God’s Word also says we are to have the mind of Christ.  Now THAT’S a tall order, wouldn’t you say?  And yet, God would not have told us these things if it was not possible to achieve them with His help!  But does accomplishing anything come as easily as we think it is going to?  I remember when our youngest son, Dustin, used to tag along with his dad in the summertime to help out with repair projects at the apartments we owned.  My husband would ask, “Do you want to go along, Dustin?  It won’t take very long!”  And Dustin’s reply was always, “How long is that?”  To which Doug’s answer was, “Oh, not too long … probably about a half-hour.”  So, Dustin would head out with his dad.  After going on several tasks like this, Dustin soon got smart and told me one day, “If Dad said it will only take about a half-hour, I know I’m going to be there at least two hours!”  I told him, “You’re learning!  Nothing ever goes as quickly as we plan for … or hope that it will, does it?  Something changes … it’s harder than we thought, or something else breaks, or we get interrupted, or we don’t have the right tools and have to go get them.  But we stick with it until we accomplish it!” There are many people who are committed to doing whatever it takes to get the job done in many arenas of their lives.  They work more hours to pay the bills, or they get an extra job.  They just do whatever it takes to survive.  Or, if they want something more than survival, some people start a business of their own on the side, in hopes that someday they can replace all of their long hours at so many jobs.  An easy change?  By no means, but adding in a few extra hours now means looking forward to later enjoying life the way God intended us to! Some people want to lose weight and become healthier, so they take a hard look at their options and choose to ditch the fast foods, the packaged and processed foods and replace them with the natural foods that God gave us to eat.  An easy change?  By no means, but a commitment to that means a healthier, longer life – and you feel great while you’re living it!  What about our walk with God?  Why do people just settle for “I just don’t have any more time or any more money to give to God!”  Point blank.  Done.  End of story!  I cannot answer for anyone else.  All I know is that if I can be my best at my job and make the right choices for enjoying life; if I can put the right kind of foods into my body to fuel it for the long-haul; then surely, I can put some over-time into my relationship with God – which is what matters eternally even more than any job I will ever have or any food choices I make.  All of these decisions mark who I am.  They give me my identity.  Especially my identity in Christ.  He gave so much for me … cannot I give more of myself … my efforts, my time, my devotion, my money and possessions, my talents, my ideas … to Him?  Do we ever even think of putting in some over-time to accomplish things for God’s Kingdom on this earth?  After all … our jobs will end someday when we can no longer work, our health – no matter how great it is, will end when we take our last breath, but our identity in Christ will live on into Eternity.  No one can steal that identity from us!  Today, I encourage you to think about putting in some over-time for the only lasting thing in our lives … let’s get out of our comfort zones and share Christ and recruit as many others for Him as possible!  Just wait until we get to Heaven … and there they all stand – because of Jesus … and because of us!  Will the over-time have been worth it?   
 
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
SUN, FEB 24:                                                         
10:00 A.M. – PRAISE & WORSHIP                                              
10:30 A.M. – KIDZONE CHURCH                                                 
WED, FEB 27:                                                        
7:00 P.M. – MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDY                                        
905 El Dorado Street SE, Owatonna   
THU, FEB 28:
7:00 P.M. - MID-WEEK BIBLE STUDY      
165 24th Place NW, Owatonna 
SAT, MAR 02:
9:00 A.M. - MEN'S BIBLE STUDY with the
Barnabas Leadership Team Meeting to follow
9:00 A.M. – LADIES PRAISE & PRAYER
 
REMEMBER . . . “We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:18  
 
 
 
Serving Christ Joyfully . . . 
 
 
Pastor Doug and Debbie
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

0 comments: