From my message 7/02/2017

Matthew 10:40-42

For me God’s word is kind of like coffee………Now stay with me…..

In a previous church my wife and I would help with fellowship events. Making the coffee was a job, so important, that most people did not want to do it. They were afraid they would mess it up, and people wouldn’t like it. I told them making coffee is pretty easy. Put coffee in the filter, put filter with coffee back in the machine,pour in water…. Presto you have coffee……. Here is what I told them…. If you just follow the basic steps you will make coffee and here is what is going to happen….. Someone will say umm that coffee is too weak. Another person will say yuck this coffee is too strong……and someone will say this is the best coffee they ever had. Almost always happened that way. Same coffee, but it depends on the person, and their own personal tastes. That is going to determine how they experience it.

When we hear God’s Word, each of us is going to filter it by what is going on in our lives. It is the same Word, yet there will be different responses to it. We are all different, we all have different stuff going on in our lives. Yet no matter what is going on in our lives God’s Word is there waiting to speak to each one of us. …..

Just like coffee to me, and many people, we need God’s Word in our lives every day. Do you have a way of having God’s Word speak into your life every day?
Get creative….. Ask yourself what’s the best way for me to get God’s Word into my life? One of the blessings and curses of today’s world is technology. Use technology!! Daily Bible Readings can be sent to you in so many ways!!

Texts, Social Media, Audio, Email! Keep trying different things, until you find what works for you….

God is a God of relationships, and He wants to have a relationship with you……..
I mean just think about it, the God who created the universe, the God who went to the cross for our sins, the God who lives in us… He wants to have a relationship with you!! Why?  Because He Loves You!

Now most of us have different relationships at different levels. Don’t you want to have the best communication with the people who are most important to you!!
I’m just saying….

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, that person will not lose their reward.

The little ones are the disciples, the new employees on the job. They are not going out as only themselves, they are going out with the power of God. Instead of a nice clean uniform, id badge and color brochures, they go out representing God. Jesus gave them the authority and power to go out.

Since they go representing God, and carry with them God’s authority, their acceptance or rejection would test the people’s attitude about God. It is that attitude that leads to reward or loss of reward.

Attitude isn’t that what really counts? Earlier I said, “when we hear God’s Word each of us is going to filter it by what is going on in our lives.. It is the same word, yet there will be different responses to it.” I think attitude is an important part of how we respond to God’s Word. What is my attitude? What is your attitude about God’s Word?

Do we come with eager expectation, that no matter what is going on in our lives,  God is ready to speak to us?

Do we come with thankfulness that we live in a country where we are allowed to gather together in worship and to hear God’s Word proclaimed!!    We are allowed to have Bibles…

Do we come with the realization that Scripture, God’s Word, the Bible is a form of God’s Grace….. God Reaching out to us to draw us closer to him…..

What is your attitude and how will you respond?