Quiet Times Search
Search Quiet Times via a keyword or stringSearching for "hard" in the Quiet Time Archive
Displaying results from "50" to "75". (133 found)
| 2010-02-15 - One Another - Bearing With Another (part 2) When helping each other likely not going to happen:
1. When relationships are real, open, and deep When we know people, walk with them, feel with them, and pray with them - we will know when they are leaving the path We need to care for them 2. When we feel our burdens, but live with a servant heart Should look to the interest of others - Philippians 2:4-5 3. When we understand that we are responsible for one another and accept it | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-02-25 - One Another - Forgiving One Another (part 1) Matters related to forgiveness: Forgiveness often is not easy Pain creates lasting memories The more deliberate the sin or the more we have invested in a relationship, the greater the pain Greater the pain = harder it is to forgive Forgiveness may be hardest in the church When we see sin in our brothers and sisters, there seems to be a much greater temptation of bitterness Satan's top-ranked scheme may be to lead us not to forgive Paul: I have forgiven in order that Satan might not outwit us - 2 Corinthians 2:9-11 If he can get us to forget the cross and create a different standard for our brothers and sister = victory for satan Sin can blemish the church but there is no uglier blemish than one cause by the lack of forgiveness | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-03-02 - To Live is Christ - Partners in the Gospel Philippians 1:16 Philippi was named for Philip of Macedon It was a roman colony - not actually a place one would expect the message of Jesus to take hold A roman jail is where you would expect Paul and Silas to be Paul made a career of being with other and influencing their lives - reduced to visits from the guards Through many hard times he had learned to overcome the most challenging of circumstances Five lines into the letter, Paul remembers his relationship with God and other disciples:
Only when we have been in the trenches with others will we have relationships that are full of life | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-03-15 - To Live is Christ - No Confidence in Flesh Paul describes people who do not appreciate what Jesus has done as dogs - Philippians 3:14 There are 2 options to approaching God:
Man, in his pride, is drawn to the performance model Paul refers to the people who acknowledge Jesus as Lord but would not let go of the performance model These people held on to certain Jewish regulation that were made obsolete by Jesus The grace model is revolutionary Seems too easy to be true but too hard for our egos to accept Grace model says:
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-03-16 - To Live is Christ - Profit to Loss If anyone want to talk about 'confidence in the flesh', Paul was ready to take them on - Philippians 3:4-7 Paul used the events in his life to show just how empty all human achievements in before God Heredity reasons (how Paul was more than others but counted them a loss)
If anyone had a right to glory in the flesh, Paul did, but he clearly saw that no one has that right | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-04-30 - I am Innocent of the Blood of all Men (part 1) Preached (2007-03-18) Paul - Innocent of the blood of all men Acts 20:17-27
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-05-02 - Renewing Your Spiritual Passion for God (part 1) Preached by Richard Dixson (1997-05-18) 1 Samuel 16:7
Psalms 51:4-9
Psalms 63:2-4 - Remember God's Power Psalms 63:6-7 - The night bed and protection from God Psalms 91:4 - We are being attacked all the time Psalms 63:8 - Confidence - God holds us up | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-05-04 - The Amazements (part 1) Preached by Richard Dixion on 1997-09-09 The people were amazed by Jesus Mark 1:22, 27
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-05-07 - Men are without excuse (part 1) Preached by Richard Dixion - 1999-07-18
Understanding the bad news Romans 1:18-32
John 3:19-21
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-05-09 - World Hates Jesus (part 1) Preached by Richard Dixon - 1999-09-19 John 15:18-25
John 3:19-21
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-05-10 - World Hates Jesus (part 2) Ephesians 5:1-13
John 6:60-71
Matthew 10:34-38
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-05-20 - Desire's Journey - Life to the Fullest I have come so you may have life to the full - John 10:10 Not: "I have come to exhaust you with long list of demands" Not only is eternal life duration but quality In him was life and that life was the light of men - John 1:4 People who aren't very good with keeping with a program are very aware of their soul's deep thirst for Jesus' message They tear off roofs The trample each other to get closer to him Have you seen anyone acting like this in order to join a church committee or to hear a sermon about a set of rules to follow? People act like this when it is a matter of life and death When life is at stake, human desire goes into desperation mode Pharisees missed the boat on this one Hearts were hardened by the very law they claimed would bring them life They killed their souls' thirst with duty and knowledge | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-05-21 - Desire's Journey - Good News? The promise of life has been lost in the focus of knowledge and performance Pharisee knew more about the Bible than we ever will - and it hardened their hearts There were two trees in the garden of Eden:
Each church has its unspoken list of what you should and should not do We are told this is the good news We don't need more facts We don't need more things to do We need life You have made know to me the path of life - Psalms 16:11 My soul pants for you - Psalms 42:1-2 My soul thirsts for you - Psalms 63:1 Why did Jesus appeal to desire? Because it was essential for life He who has the Son has life - 1 John 5:12 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-05-23 - Desire's Journey - Disowned Desire Examples of desires used for bad then good King David - passions got him in trouble, then gave us our book of worship Peter - was hotheaded disciple always quick with a reply Paul - extremely zealous for the traditions of his fathers, killed Christians Those who killed their passion altogether would murder the very essence that makes heros of the faith | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-05-26 - Desire's Journey - Faith as Desire First two servant doubled their investment and were rewarded When we bury our desires, we saying to God = 'I don't dare desire because I fear you; I think you are hard-hearted" Is our obedience more out of love or out of carefulness? Persistent widow - won he case because she refused to let up When Jesus returns, will he find faith? - Luke 18 To live with desire means:
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-05-29 - Desire's Journey - Mocking Desire We want the adventure without the risk - ex. Only 5% of SUV ever go off-road Idols usually come in pairs: Nearby idol - gives a since of control Faraway idols - provides the taste of transcendence But the idols are impostors - we are taken by the array of choices we have but never have to stop and look at what we are doing Is your desire truly and deeply satisfied with these idols? Does the relief come more through the temporary absence of desire? We have found a powerful drug - distraction Sometimes we don't want to take a good, hard look at what we are really doing Used wood to make fire and cook with - then made an idol??? - Isaiah 44:16-17, 19-20 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-06-03 - Desire's Journey - Hardest Lesson to Learn God promises evern man futility and failure We spend much of our time attempting to end these curses It can not be done Will life ever be what I so deeply want it to be? We must have life - we can not arrange for it People avoid the lesson:
...rather than facing the truth - Isaiah 57:10 Some have seen that this will not work, yet they have faded into resignation, bitterness or dispair How do we accept that it can't be done with an open heart? | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-06-10 - Jesus - the Zealot (part 1) By Richard Dixon in 1999-09-26
Jesus mission was to overthrow Satan's ruling government over the earth1 John 3:7-8 Cause worth living forLuke 9:25
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-06-16 - Jesus - The Healer (part 1) Preached by Richard Dixon on 1999-10-03 Matthew 9:12 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-06-27 - Jesus - The Lord (part 1) Preached by Richard Dixon on 1999-10-10 We have many bosses:
Matthew 9:27-34
Jesus is Lord of our FaithDo you believe that you will receive everything that you ask for in prayer? 5 Faith Killers:
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-07-07 - Desire's Journey - The Grand Affair (part 4) Sexual intimacy is the closest parallel we have to real worship The best impostors succeed because they are nearly indistinguishable from what they are trying to imitate Our hearts live for "an experience of worship that fills our being with a joy that is so deeply in awe that we are barely aware of ourselves Men have a hard time relating to the bridal imagery used in Scripture | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-07-13 - Desire's Journey - The Adventure Begins (part 5) Creation awaits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed - Romans 8:19 The kingdom of God prepared for you since the creation of the world - Matthew 25:31-34 He will put the faithful and wise servant in charge of all his possessions - Matthew 24:47 They will reign forever and ever - Revelation 22:5 We will take the position for which we have uniquely made and will rule with him Much of the activity of God in our lives brings us to the place where we can be entrusted To each their own Each person will live out the passion of their heart - given by God The kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it - Revelation 21:24 Hard to believe that we can add anything to the splendor of God That is exactly what we are designed for and what our future involves | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-07-18 - Desire's Journey - Deeper Desire (part 5) We can learn many things about the journey of desire in the story of Jesus' wilderness trial 1. He was hungry - Matthew 4:1-4
Satan: You don't have to stay hungry, you have options The lie is that the options will bring us what we most deeply want and need Evey idol is an impostor - not true life When on a marathon - and are given a beer It is cold (we desire cold) but we know we really need cold water for our thirst Junk food does not have the nutrition we need When we have been working out, working hard in the field, we know what we want Knowing full well what our heart's real thirst is, we will have looked the imposer in the face and laughed as Jesus did | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-08-08 - Waking Dead - At War (part 3) Until we come to terms with war, we will not understand life We will misinterpret most of what is happening around us:
We have to realize we are part of a story and the situation we are in right now will change We won't understand our life until we see it as a battle - warring against your heart The issue is: we can not see things as clearly as we ought to - but we need to The attack on our hearts weighs down our lives and glory is being held back We don't see clearly because we don't see with the eyes of our heart | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-08-14 - Waking Dead - Heart is Central The heart is central The heart is addressed in the Bible more than any other topic Love the Lord your God with all your heart - Deuteronomy 6:5 Trust in the Lord with all of your heart - Proverbs 3:5 The heart can be:
The heart can be unpredictable but it is central to our being The heart answers a lot of questions:
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-08-16 - Waking Dead - Motives Those who live from the mind shed few tears There are the stated reasons for what we do and then there is the real reasons = motives On the day of judgment, the Lord will expose the motive of men's hearts - 1 Corinthians 4:5 The Pharisees prayed to impress men with their spirituality and gave to impress with their generosity God looks at the heart The law is written on our hearts and consciences - Romans 2:15 It is why it is so important to not to harden our hearts The heart is where we do our deepest thinking Jesus knows what the we are thinking in our hearts Solomon asked for a wise and discerning heart - 1 Kings 3:9 The modern mistake is to think that the mind equals reason and the heart equals emotion | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-09-15 - God is love Preached by Richard Dixion on 1999-05-04 Psalms 25:10
Psalms 145:13
Hebrews 12:4-10
Romans 12:1-2
2 Corinthians 5:3
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-09-29 - Contagious Christian - People Matter (part 1) We might like the idea of having a spiritual impact on others, we won't take decisive action unless we raise our motivation level The best way to do this is to have God's perspective on the matter 1. The way things are - Science Anthropic principle - when we look at the world around us, the universe was somehow designed to support and nourish human life
We matter to God 2. The way things ought to be - Business Business is turning to the "upside-down" approached They refocus on they are there - to server their customers Focus must be outside the church as well It is easy to get entangled and ensnared in internal issues in our church that it is hard to remember the primary reason we remain on this planet - to reach out to other people If we matter to God, then they'd better matter to us too | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-10-04 - Contagious Christian - The Costs of Outreach 1. Time and Energy 2. Reading and Study 3. Money 4. Risk of Embarrassment, Rejection or Persecution 5. Complication of Life | ||||||||||||||||||
2010-10-12 - Dealing With Your Heart (Part I)
QUESTIONS
| ||||||||||||||||||
2010-10-14 - Dealing With Your Heart (Part III)
QUESTIONS
| ||||||||||||||||||
2010-10-21 - Dealing With Debt (Part II)
QUESTIONS
| ||||||||||||||||||
2010-10-22 - God and Your Job
QUESTIONS
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-11-01 - Contagious Christian - A Matthew Party Like today, many of the religious and non-religious of Matthew's day did not have intersecting social circles Some he planned a party for the religious and non-religious to come to - Luke 5:29
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-11-14 - Contagious Christian - Overriding Principles Pray Hard
So they will not be embarrassed or concerned about the opinions of others Pique Curiosity Drop hints and create curiosity the way Jesus did with the woman at the well Rely on Reciprocal Reflexes Want to tell someone about your interests or beliefs, just start asking them about theirs Seize Split-Second Opportunities People provide us with the chance to raise topics of faith, but most are not prepared for them It is one thing to see the opportunity but it is quite another to seize it - takes courage Don't Underestimate their Degree of Interest We can assume many are not interested but the truth is people today are getting tired of living without purpose | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2010-12-25 - Saved by Grace through Faith (part I) Psalms 103:1-18
Luke 18:9-14
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-01-20 - Followup - Heart Issues The Examination Proverbs 4:23 - Above all else guard your heart. Psalms 139:23 - Open your heart to God. Hebrews 4:13 - God cuts with His sword and sees everything. Types of Heart Disease Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 14:12 - Deceit Deuteronomy 29:26-31 - Idolatry Deuteronomy 8:10-18, Proverbs 18:12 - Pride Hebrews 3:12-19 - Unbelief (hardness, rebellion, disobedience) Hebrews 12:3-12 - Weariness | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-01-29 - Followup - Relationships Demonstrated 1. Actions
1 Thessalonians 5:12-15
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-02-17 - Cross of Christ - Kansas City (part I) Purpose: Understand how the Bible explains what Jesus went through before/during and after the cross Painful betrayal of a friend Matthew 26:14-30
Matthew 26:31-35
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-06-28 - Mind of Christ - Helping People (part III) Attitude differences between a compassionate heart and one that is uncompassionate.
Which side of the table do I tend to say more of? | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-07-10 - Mind of Christ - Heavenly Mission (part V) Paul employed at least five elements to accomplish this mission: 1. He gave himself totally to its fulfillment.
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-08-13 - Daughter Needs - Laughter If dads are always working, disciplining, serious, they will have a hard time believing love is sometimes light hearted Older daughters may think silliness is not cool, the key is to have fun Games and siliiness are simply mechanisms to achieve fun and laughter Teach your daughters to take their work and calling seriously - but not themselves Being fun and silly requires a degree of vulnerability that many men and women struggle with Tell jokes but do not poke fun of each other - this is forbidden If you make your daughter cry, you have gone over the line Apologize - don't tell her to stop being too sensitive | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-09-08 - Followup: Humility I (part I) Humility is essential in beginning and maintaining a relationship with God. Pride, the opposite of humility, is often difficult to see in yourself and difficult to define in one’s character. It can be described as stubbornness toward God and his Word as well as others, or as independence from God and/or others. Let’s look at a few examples of what humility is NOT.
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-09-11 - Followup: Humility II (part II) What’s in store for the humble person?
Who is it hardest for you to be humble towards? Why? Are you willing to change these things so you can please God? How can I help? Isaiah 66:2 - God is excited about the humble person. How to be humble when you sin:
To clothe yourself with Christ is to clothe yourself with humility. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-09-22 - Proverbs on Pride (part II) PRIDE #1. Pride kills our relationship with God & others (Proverbs 16:5)
Ultimate example is Satan (Revelation 12:7-9, 13:4-9)
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-09-27 - Proverbs on Advice - Advisors bring victory 2. Advisors bring victory Proverbs 11:14 - For lack of guidance a nation falls, but many advisers make victory sure Proverbs 25:12 - Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear We all want to succeed; we all want to be winners.
3. Without instruction, bad things happen Proverbs 19:27 - Stop listening to instruction my son and you will stray from the words of knowledge Proverbs 21:16 - A man who strays from the path of understanding comes to rest in the company of the dead Sometimes were just think-headed (we know what’s best)
| ||||||||||||||||||
2011-10-17 - Genesis 17 - Abram becomes Abraham SummaryGod made a covenant with Abram and renamed him Abraham. He renamed Sarai Sarah and promised them a son. The men were circumcised. ObservationsGenesis 17:9 - As for you, you must keep my covenant Personal ApplicationI know I can one-sided and stubborn in my thoughts and sometimes in my relationships. When I get my mind set to do something, that is the way it is. This can be a strength in some situations but a very big weakness if I am contrary to God's thinking. I need to be humble and allow God to change my thoughts and my ways. | ||||||||||||||||||
2011-10-18 - Genesis 18 - Abraham prays for SodomSummaryThree visitors came and said that Sarah would have a son next year. Sodom was very evil; Abraham pleaded with the LORD for the city. ObservationsGenesis 18:14 - Is anything too hard for the LORD? Personal ApplicationI doubt God way too much (once is too much )and I do probably everyday - I am doing it right now. God is god, he can do anything. Yes, even that. I have got to stop making God smaller in my mind. Every time that I think I have an understanding how big and strong he is - God is beyond that. He greater than I can imagine. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-11-27 - Grace (part III) Grace should motivate you to work hard for God
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-12-02 - Guarding Your Heart (part I) Keeping your heart in good condition is not just an important physical principle, but a spiritual one as well. A bad spiritual heart will cause spiritual sickness and ultimately spiritual death – separate from God. The Bible gives us some great information on how to keep our hearts in good spiritual shape and keep them beating strong and healthy for God until the day we die. We guard our hearts to keep the good and keep away the bad we’re tempted to do
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-12-16 - Day 13 - Saved to Serve Matthew 25:31-46
Application: Who can you help today? Do it. Also, make plans with another disciple to help other needy people this week. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-12-21 - Day 18 - Learning from Others Matthew 18:1-4
Psalms 32:8-10 - How can you not be like a horse or mule? Application: If you have resisted learning from younger disciples, repent today and seek them out to ask questions. If you are young yourself, set the believers a great example | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2011-12-30 - Day 27 - Learning to be Loyal What does loyalty mean to you? 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-01-04 - Day 32 - Walking as Jesus did 1 John 2:5-6 - Think back over the past several days. Are you walking like Jesus? Mark 1:21-28
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-01-28 - Ministry - Compromise or Conviction? John 6: 60-69; Luke 9: 57-62; Luke 14:25-33;Matt. 18:5-9 How many times do we face the decision to compromise our faith just to win the approval of people around us or to be so desperately accepted? We know we should be strong, we know we should have deep convictions and take a stand for God, but we give into the peer pressure at school, work, and the people-pleasing non-conflict avoiding sinful nature inside all of us! We want to be liked! We want to avoid confrontation, conflict, and courageously calling others out of sin! Jesus loved God and others so much he was willing to tell the truth no matter how it made someone feel! He preached what people needed to hear and not what they wanted to hear! He laid out the hard teachings with convictions not with apologies! Even when disciples decided to leave and no longer follow him, he did not compromise the truth! He let them leave and challenged others,"do you want to leave to?" Are you ready to die to compromise? What are the areas where you compromise your faith? Identify two areas that you consistently compromise in either at work, home or on campus? How often do you compromise? Share with your spouse, friends or d-group what you give-in to and your desire to want to change. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-02-03 - Ministry - A Righteous Response Mark 11:15-17, John 2:15,16 How does Jesus deal with anger? I know many of us, consider Jesus' response to the temple being used for a marketplace as an example of righteous anger. However, I studied eight different translations and the scriptures never state "Jesus got angry. John records that Jesus "made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area. It is hard to imagine myself doing this without harshness and anger but I did not conclude that Jesus was harsh or mean. In Mark 11:17 it simply says that he next "taught them". In John, the disciples saw his actions as "zeal" and when confronted by the Pharisees he answered their questions with profound teaching. This was not a man out of control while responding to mistreatment of his Father's house. Jesus was very God-focused in the way he dealt with the emotion of anger. In Mark 3:5,6 the scripture points out that Jesus was angry "at their stubborn hearts" because they could not respond to his questions due to evil intentions in their hearts. Jesus was angry. How did he deal with it? Further study indicates Jesus combined anger with being/feeling: "deeply distressed. His next response was to heal a man with a shriveled hand and to teach us all an amazing lesson about how deeply God cares for us. WOW! I'm not like Jesus when I get angry, how about you? Challenge:
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-02-06 - Ministry - Compassion: The Heart of Jesus John 11:33-35 In a world so full of pain, hardship and suffering the compassion of Jesus lights the world. It is a comfort to know that "our God is full of compassion". Psalms 116:5 Jesus was deeply moved by people's suffering. Jesus sincerely cared and invested his heart in others. Does the hardship of others cause us to invest our hearts or harden them? Do we imitate Jesus' heart? We can learn to be compassionate only when we have allowed Jesus to comfort us. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-02-09 - Ministry - Jesus Stayed Focused Amidst Challenges Matthew 14:13-21 How do you respond to bad news? Do you get angry? Faithless? Hard hearted? Self-piteous? When John the Baptist's disciples came to Jesus to tell him that his predecessor and cousin had been beheaded (Mt.14: 12) Jesus "withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place." When Jesus withdrew it wasn't to indulge in his emotions, but to call on his Father in heaven for the strength to handle pressure. Jesus didn't withdraw to escape the demands of the ministry. His dependence on God made it possible for him to deal with pain and still meet the needs of those around him. "Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick." (Mt.14: 14) It's a temptation for me - when I am feeling all the pressures from my life - to place limits on how much I love and serve others. Even though Jesus had just received news of his cousin's death, he didn't get irritated with the demands of the crowds. He healed their sick, then fed them. He didn't "send them away", as his disciples had suggested earlier. If we want to have impact like Jesus did, we must treasure our solitary time with God so that we can remain focused of the needs of others. At some point today or this week, you are going to be confronted with a challenge to give when you really do not want to. You may have to stay up late, get up early, or give in an uncomfortable, inconvenient way. Respond with a spiritual perspective. Respond with compassion. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-02-15 - Fear of Failure - That Our Faith Should Not Fail by Rosalind Lam, San Francisco Church of Christ Luke 22:31-62 Jesus recognized the spiritual battle both he and his disciples would undergo before his arrest and therefore prayed that Simon's faith would not fail him and that he would "repent and turn to [Jesus] again, strengthen and build up [his] brothers" (NLT). Peter was blinded by his pride and did not have a sober view of his own ability to resist temptation, even after Jesus warned him that he would deny him. Peter's overconfidence was evident when he chose to sleep instead of pray and Peter's reliance on his flesh led to him being overpowered by fear and failing to have conviction during the time of pressure. Though Peter got bitter at his failure initially, he did not let it destroy his faith but went on to do amazing things for God, including preaching the opening sermon for the church. What I learn from this passage about my own failures as a Christian is that Satan's ultimate goal is that my faith will fail me. Jesus' prayer helped me to make a decision that as long as I fight hard in prayer to repent and turn back to God, use my failures to build the faith of other Christians, and never give up, I can always make a comeback as Peter did and see God use me to fulfill his dreams for my life. Decisions:
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-02-19 - Fear of Failure - God Is Still With Us When We Fail by Julie Clark, San Francisco Church of Christ 2 Samuel 14:14 So many times in my life I feel like I am all alone, facing failure after failure by myself. What has given me hope and shown me that "failure is not fatal" is the fact that God is always working, putting people in my life, devising ways to help me stay strong. We are not alone! God is always working on our behalf.
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-02-20 - Fear of Failure - Relying on God Never Fails by Jeremy Clark, San Francisco Church of Christ Jeremiah 17:5-10; Hosea 10:12-13 Often the failures in my life have felt devastating. They have made me doubt myself, made me doubt my purpose and made me doubt God. When I began to lead a ministry, I thought I could do it by myself. I was out to prove to myself that I was capable. As I began to lead I ran around all the time, I was exhausted, anxious, and worried about getting in trouble every day. I was miserable. What I didn't realize was that as I was trying to prove that I could do it, God was proving to me that I couldn't without him. My failure made me want to quit. I felt cursed; it seemed all the the work I did meant nothing. God was showing me my pride, but instead of praying more, I worried more and ran around more and was completely ineffective. My failure came because of my pride, my unwillingness to be open, and not getting the help I needed. I was relying on myself, and God was teaching me that he would not bless it. That lesson was hard to learn, but one so valuable to my life once I was willing to learn to rely on God and not my own strength.
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-02-26 - Fear of Failure - God is in Control by Amy Kim - Ministry Intern: San Francisco Church of Christ Hebrews 3:7-19 Failure is just a time of testing. We harden our hearts, rebel and give up or we can have faith, be humble and move on. When I fail the first thing that happens is my pride gets hurt because I always think that I am in control or that I can do it. But God allows me to experience failure to remind me that I can't do it all. God is the only one who can. The question is whether I am as happy and excited about life when I fail as when I am successful. The only way I can do that is trust that God is in control. All I need is to do is trust him to do it, be willing to humble out and be surrendered, acknowledging that I can't do it at all. Decisions:
| ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-02-27 - Fear of Failure - God Encourages Those Who Fail by Yvonne San Juan - Ministry Intern: San Francisco Church of Christ 1 Kings 19:1-9 Elijah felt like a complete failure. He was tired of running, alone, and so discouraged that he preferred death. Elijah had just been a part of a great victory where God demonstrated his power to the people and they saw rain for the first time in many years. He faced a new challenge as the Queen wanted to kill him, and he ran away. God didn't let Elijah fail; he encouraged Elijah with food and rest. God reminded him there were others that were faithful to God and Elijah was not alone. God enabled Elijah to keep on going when Elijah felt like he had had enough. Through failure, I have learned to call to God in prayer, and to be completely honest with Him, just like Elijah. I have also decided to be completely open about my struggles with my friends, and to not go through my failures alone. Also, reading about godly people who have failed in the Bible has given me hope and encouragement during the hard times that when I fail, God still loves me. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2012-11-02 - Centrality of the Heart (part II) The Christian life is a love affair of the heart It can not be lived primarily as a set of principles What must we do? Love the Lord your God with all of your heart - Luke 10:26 The truth of the gospel is intended to free us to love God If we ignore our heart and only try to live out our religion solely as correct doctrine or ethics, our passion is crippled What God cares about is the inner life, the life of the heart - Matthew 23:25-28 Our heart is the key to the Christian life - Isaiah 29:13 Paul - the hardness of the heart is behind all the addictions and evils of the human race - Romans 1:21-25 Above all we are to guard our heart It was from the longing of our hearts that most of us first responded to Jesus What changed? It is possible to recover from the lost life of the heart - we must leave what is familiar and comfortable Change our heart and go back to when we lived with our heart, a heart of a child - Mark 10:15 | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2013-09-09 - A Man Accepts His Masculinity THe key ingredient masculinity is actually strength Culture has spent decades telling women to “Rise up and be strong!” and telling men to “Sit down and be quiet!” King David charged his son Solomon, “Be strong, therefore, and show yourself a man” - 1 Kings 2:2 This is our responsibility as men. This is required of us to be faithful. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015-02-04 - No Contest I come to you in the name of the Lord - 1 Samuel 17:45 David spoke words of confidence He knew that God had sent him and He never sends a man to fight without equipping and guilding him Goliath had size, armor, weapons and a hard heart on his side It was a hopeless situation - for the Giant The moment David accepted God's call to fight, Goliath was as good as dead. This is the Lords battle! - 1 Samuel 17:47 What "giants" in your life make you feel like the underdog? In Christ, can not only win over the giants but have an abolute rout. | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015-02-22 - Dependent Attitude Must we bring you water from this rock? - Numbers 20:10 Sometimes we say "I did the best I could" but instead, we should say "I should have called you sooner" An independent spirit often keeps us from doing our best Moses became a humble, obedient servant yet in a moment he lost everything that he had worked so hard to gain
His prideful self-reliance cost him the opportunity to lead them to the promised land. What would it mean for you to rely on God? | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015-03-10 - All Good Things You rule over everything - 1 Chronicles 29:12 David understood that although he had worked hard, God was the source of all his accomplishments King David realized no one, whatever his station in life, ever receieves anything good apart from God David died at a ripe old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor - 1 Chronicles 29:28 God loves hearing you declare him as your source of all good things Allow others to see God at work in your life and open yourself to additional blessings | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015-04-15 - Moved by What He Saw This man truely was the Son of God - Mark 15:39 The solider had taken part in some of the most barbaric, brutal executions imaginable, but evertyhg seemed different this time He oversaw Jesus' crucifixion:
This man of war who had a seared conscience and hardened heart, concluded this was the Son of God | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015-04-18 - What Pleases God Moses: Lord, please! Send anyone else - Exodus 4:13 What you succeed in doing often depends on your attitude When God first appeared to Moses, his attitude was negative and self-defeating Instead of focusing on the awesome task before him, he focused on his human frality i "can't" attitude can keep you from enjoying the good things God has for you God loves it when you turn your focus toward him and away from your own fears and doubt Is there anything too hard for you to accomplish today? | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015-04-27 - Pride By my own mighty power, I have built this beautiful city - Daniel 4:30 Breakdown of how much we learn from our senses:
Nebuchadnezzar was given a dream and Daniel told him what it meant - the king's pride would result in a severe bout of divine discipline Daniel begged the king to give up his pride so that God could relent God had given Nebuchadnezzar an opportunity to humble himself God immediately accounced that the king would no lose his kingdom and be sent out to live a wild animal Nebuchadnezzar had to learn the hard way from taste and smell of grass since could not learn from sight Are you teachable? When God speaks to you, take it to heart | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015-07-05 - Bottomline Wisdom My final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone's duty - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 There is in hte heart of every man a God-shaped void Solomon had it all, but he eventually concluded that those things were not enough - which amounted to exactly nothing His life was empty Solomon asked God for wisdom and became the wisest man who ever lived Despite God's warnings, Solomon drifted from the Lord and turned to other gods Without God, life amounts to nothing but birth, lots of hard work, and death When you make Jesus Christ central to everything, even everyday events have meaning and significance | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015-08-04 - Appearance Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife - Matthew 1:20 It's hard to imagine Joseph not making some assumptions when his fiancee told him she was pregnant Joseph onlyknew two things:
What would his family think? Would they buy the story? Would he buy his own story? God saw his heart and knew that he was the right man for the job As Joseph slept, God confirmed Mary's story and told Joseph to not be afraid to marry her God allowed Joseph the privilege of caring for the most important child ever born | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015-08-08 - Fatherly Love While he was still a long way off - Luke 15:20 It is not hard to imagine a father tears watching his son taking his inheritance and disappearing from view When the father saw his son appear on the horizen, he recongized Despite the shuffle and haggard appearance, he knew him He couldn't just stand and wait, so he ran The father saw him not as a servant or as damaged goods but as a much-loved son in good standing When you freely give yourself in this way, you heal your relationshops and set an example for others | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2015-10-06 - Trust God The king has sent me on a private matter - 1 Samuel 21:2 We can overcome our fear of what men do to us by clinging to our faith and remembering God superintends everything that comes our way David was on the run from King Saul because he was trying to kill him when he met Ahimelech David lied to Ahimelech - The king has sent me on a private matter It's not hard to figure out why David lied, he feared Saul more than he trusted God When you fear men, do you focus on the fear or trust in God who already has your future mapped out |
