STRAIGHTFORWARD! You know when someone has spoken their
mind. You know when there are no options
– just rules or commands. You know when
the truth is being spoken. There is no
deviating from what is right. It is what
it is – no matter what you think. Today
I flipped open a publication for seniors that crossed my desk (no, not high
school seniors)! That still sounds
strange when I use the word “seniors” referring to my age group – though I am
still on the young end of that spectrum!
Alright, I’m getting off the subject.
The quote I read as I flipped through the pages caught my eye and I turned
the page back again for a second look. I
read it carefully . . . “You need to take responsibility for being the
healthiest person you can be. No one
else is going to do it for you.” Though
I consider my health to be a precious gift from God that I need to take care of
to the best of my ability – as I read that statement, I thought about how
pertinent it is in pretty much every area of my life! I thought about my walk with God. I thought about my family relationships,
friendships, and church family. About
ministry and marketplace opportunities, alike.
I thought about my dreams and aspirations. My need for rest and relaxation and
renewal. My desire for true
revival. As my mind ran through the
many-faceted parts of my life, I realized the validity of the above
statement. While our God enables and
empowers us in everything we seek His help for, still it comes down to us
taking responsibility, doesn’t it? Let’s
revisit the original quote: God gifts us
with life and health, but it is ultimately our responsibility to make right
choices about how we can remain healthy.
God has paid the price for our salvation, but then it is up to us to
make daily decisions about how we nurture our new life in Christ – whether we
desire and pursue a more intimate relationship – or whether we just allow what
was birthed to never grow beyond that infant stage. Great relationships take a lot of work and
commitment – they don’t just happen on their own. The other persons in your family, in your
circle of friends, in your church … may hold back and not reach out to
you. So if you desire any kind of a
close relationship at all, you must take the responsibility to reach out to
them and nurture the bond you desire with them.
How healthy are things in our church or at our job (or jobs)? If what takes place there is not as healthy
as we would like, then we need to take responsibility to seek God for ways that
we can help make a godly impact in these important arenas of our lives, for His
glory and honor. And who is responsible
for the hard work and effort that goes into making dreams come true? Or for making sure that we look at the clock
and decide that it’s alright to go to bed a bit earlier – or to just say “time
out” from all the demands that our lives impose on us? And who makes the heart-decision to do
whatever it takes to seek God for personal and corporate revival in our lives …
other than us, personally? You see,
we’ve got more power within us than we give ourselves credit for. God could snap His fingers, and everything in
our lives would just fall into perfect place!
But God gives us choices: to sit
back and do nothing – and hope for the best, to do as little as possible – and
hope that someone else will fill in where we left off, or get engaged in
hands-on commitment and action that comes from taking responsibility to be the
best we can be. In every part of our
lives! Yes, we can count on God to help
us; but no, He is not going to do it for us.
We are in this together with Him – we do our part and He does His! God gives us straightforward choices to make
every day – may we invite His wisdom and help!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
A SPECIAL
WELCOME to Ruth, Erika, and John; and welcome back to Connie, and to
Carianne & children, who worshipped with us on Sunday! May God bless each of you!
SUN, MAY 19:
10:00 A.M. - Praise & Worship
10:30 A.M. - KidZone Church
11:30 A.M. - All Church Luncheon (potluck)
WED/THU. MAY 22/23:
Mid-week Bible Studies will resume in the fall
Continue to study God's Word with your family!
SUN, MAY 26:
10:00 A.M. - Praise & Worship
10:30 A.M. - KidZone Church
ELEVATION
NORTH SPOTLIGHT!
Fellowship
Opportunities
AN ALL CHURCH
LUNCHEON will be held following this Sunday’s worship service, May 19th,
and we hope you will plan to stay and join in on this perfect time to get to
know your church family better! Everyone
is bringing their favorite food dish to pass, there will be lots of great
conversation, and as always, the food is delicious and plentiful! We encourage everyone to come!
OUR ALL NEW …
PARK TO PARK PROGRESSIVE PICNIC is being planned for Saturday, June 8th,
at 5:00 p.m. We will start at the church
and end at the church – with stops at three parks in between, with food and fun
at each stop! Check out the sign-up
sheet to see how you can be a part! Plan
to bring your lawn chair(s) and a blanket for small ones to sit on. Don’t miss this!
REMEMBER . .
. “When God is about to do something great, He starts with a
difficulty. When He is about to do
something truly magnificent, He starts with an impossibility.” ~ Armin Gesswein
/ “ … all things are possible with God.”
Mark 10:27b
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
