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THE REASON FOR GROWTH
SCRIPTURE READING: Acts 4:23-31
KEY VERSE: When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. "Sovereign Lord," they said, "you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them" (Acts 4:24).
Our God is free to act and make decisions as He chooses. He has no limits. The sea cow, called a Manatee, is an example of His unlimited creativity. These gentle creatures feed upon vegetation and enjoy the warm springwaters of Florida. Although they are homely, large, and clumsy, God created these mammals along with everything else in the heavens, earth, and sea for His own reasons and purpose. He is the ultimate dreamer and doer.
He created us and knows we need Christian fellowship. That is why He created the Early Church and builds local churches today. He knows the ideal church is not necessarily one built with brick and mortar, but built with a fellowship of believers who pray together. It is built with caring hands, loving hearts, and is a free-spirited fellowship sensitive to the Holy Spirit. It is a mission-minded church that loves people through Jesus Christ by embracing them with God's love and valuing their worth.
It remains God's will for believers to come together in spiritual unity. God doesn't want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to come to repentance. He is so patient with us (2 Peter 3:9). If this is God's goal and focus, it should be ours as well.
--Beverly Hawk Chapin
SING TO THE LORD
Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear,
Things I would ask Him to tell me If He were here:
Scenes by the wayside, Tales of the sea,
Stories of Jesus--Tell them to me.
"Tell Me the Stories of Jesus" by William H. Parker
PRAYER FOCUS
Pray for the Holy Spirit to rest upon and move among the members of your congregation. Pray for Christians witnessing on the island of Palau.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
God is the Eternal Creator: He reveals himself to us by bringing order out of chaos.
THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR
Read Judges 13-15.
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