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2020 Mercy Over Judgment 10 17 20 2019 Knowing What Is True 3 27 19 2018 Waiting On God 3 3 18 The Difference Is Jesus 12 21 18 2017 What Unites Us 3 25 17 Keep The Faith 12 13 17 |
2016 Be A Light In The World 12 7 16 2015 Our Real Home 3 28 15 & 10 2 20 2014 So Blessed 3 27 14 & 8 11 20 The Light Of The World 12 11 14 & 2 13 21 |
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Saturday, October 17, 2020 - "The Connection" Series |
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Scripture: James 2:12-13 (NIV) – “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” Message: In a study on the book of James, Jesus’ half-brother, mercy triumphing over judgment was its theme. We are required out of love for Jesus and a desire to obey Him and to please Him, to act out our faith, to do good deeds for others in need, and to forgive those who have done wrong to us. We willingly and knowingly accept God’s forgiveness of us, with all our faults and shortcomings. It’s undeserved, but made possible by Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross; so, we need to also extend that mercy to others. As we go through our days this season, let’s keep our eyes and minds wide open and aware of the many and great ways God shows us His mercy and His love. His goodness, so great towards us, serves as a powerful reminder. It inspires and compels us to reach out, showing His love and His mercy to others. In the end, mercy triumphs over judgment! Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for showing mercy to me. Open my eyes and help me to reach out in showing love and mercy to others. Amen.
Ruth
Sprous |
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Wednesday, March 27, 2019 |
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Scriptures: John 4:23-24 (NIV) - "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship in Spirit and in truth." John 8:31-32 (NIV) – “To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’” John 18:36-37 (NIV) – “Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.’ ‘You are a king, then!’ said Pilate. Jesus answered, ‘You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.’” Message: A recent devotional I read told the story of the Israelites wandering in the desert after their exodus from Egypt. God led them with His presence in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night to light their way. If it stopped, they stopped. If it moved, they moved. He led them in that way. Wouldn't it be great to have God's guidance in such an obvious manner? We could know for certainty what the best choices would be. Centuries later, God sent His Son Jesus, not in a cloud, but in person to lead and save His people. Jesus led by example and taught from knowledge given to Him by God. He told His disciples, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31b-32). Jesus said to Pilate, ."..I was born and came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." John 18:37 (NIV). Jesus' truth is the same today as it was when He was on earth. We as Christians should know the truth of His words and let that truth lead us in our daily living and decision making. Prayer: Lord, lead me in Your truth and teach me. Help me to make right choices. Amen. Ruth Sprous |
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Saturday, March 3, 2018 |
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Scriptures: Isaiah 30:18 (NLT) - "So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For the Lord is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help." Isaiah 30:15 (NLT) – “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength. But you would have none of it.” Waiting is hard. Many can't stand to wait in line. I get annoyed when drivers take a long time to start up again when a red light turns green. More seriously, many around the world wait for terrible circumstances to resolve so they can return home. Some wait for release from prison. Some await a life-changing decision. We can't always control daily life-events. What we can control is our belief and trust in God. He uses periods of waiting to teach us and guide us. We must trust in the knowledge that He always acts out of His love for us. "Only in returning to me and resting in me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength" (Isaiah 30:15a-c). Salvation comes from God alone through Jesus. In Luke 12, Jesus tells of the importance of waiting and being prepared. The servants are to be dressed for service and to keep their lamps burning for the master's return. God is delaying Jesus' return to prepare a kingdom for His followers, so that as many as possible will be received into it. Until that time, we who follow must live out our beliefs and reflect Jesus' love. Prayer: Lord Jesus, strengthen us in our daily lives, that we would wait confidently in You. Amen. Ruth Sprous |
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Friday, December 21, 2018 |
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Scriptures: 1 John 4:4 (NIV) - "You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." Romans 5:5b-c (NLT) – “For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Message: As a study of history reveals, evil has been very successful. By anyone's account of current news around the world and here in the U.S., evil is present today.
Evil
works its
way into
ungodly hearts and
minds because the Holy Spirit
is not present within those persons.
Evil is of the world. The Spirit is of God. As believers,
in times of temptation, despair, or confusion, we must allow our
faith to prevail When we face difficult times, we must trust in the power of the Spirit within us and lean on our knowledge of Scripture. We must know what's in the Bible to rely on it and dwell on it in times of trial. In this modern, fallen world, it’s imperative that the Good News of Jesus Christ is spread. We must support those who faithfully spread the gospel. So much tragedy and heartache can be prevented or overcome when more people know Jesus— lives are saved and transformed by the guiding Spirit who lives within us. “We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love” (Romans 5:5b-c). Prayer: Lord, help us to rely on the presence of Your Spirit in our lives always. Amen. Ruth Sprous |
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Saturday, March 25, 2017 |
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Scripture: Ephesians 4:3-6 - "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Message: We live in times of disunity, people protesting over so many things, influencing many via social networking and by other means. It would be good to remind ourselves that we should and need to keep in mind our roles in contributing to peace and unity. It's a challenge. We do that by loving others, in spite of their faults (don't forget we have faults, also), praying for them, remembering them and focusing on what unites us as Christians - one body, one Spirit, one future, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. The Holy Spirit in us plays the role of leading us, but we have to be willing to be led and do our part to keep the peace and as unifiers. If we focus on God and not ourselves, we'll be on the right path. When we accept the Spirit's leadership, we become Christ's representatives. It's our calling and privilege to live lives worthy of what Christ has called us to do. Prayer: Lord, let us be willing to be led by Your Spirit and do our part in promoting peace and unity as Your representatives. Amen. Ruth Sprous |
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Wednesday, December 13, 2017 |
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Scripture: Hebrews 11:1 (NLT) - “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” Luke 5:18-20 (NLT) – “Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, ‘Young man, your sins are forgiven.’” This year, we have witnessed terrible natural disasters and their devastating effects. So many people have lost their homes, businesses, livelihoods, possessions, and some, their loved ones. If we had lost everything in a disaster like this, would we still trust God? The Bible gives us examples of faith no matter the circumstances. One of these is Daniel in the Old Testament. His very life was threatened by Nebuchadnezzar, but Daniel stood strong in his faith, and God provided a way out by giving him the ability to interpret the king's dream. I hope, through our prayers for the victims of untold losses, that they would be strengthened and receive provision. Our faith does affect others. We see this in Luke 5:18-20, the story of the friends of the paralytic. Their faith moved Jesus to heal this man. Just like Jesus' disciples - even though they lived with Him, saw His miracles, and heard His teachings, we can have doubts and questions, but still believe. By keeping our faith in God's promises, we can anticipate His faithfulness based in confidence gained from His work in the past. By our faith and prayers, we can change behavior and lives. Prayer: Lord God, strengthen our faith and belief in You. Help us never to give up, no matter what, and always to turn to You. Amen. Ruth Sprous |
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Scripture: Luke 2:30-32 - "I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations and He is the glory of your people Israel." Message: Just as Jesus was born to bring salvation and to be a light to the world, so we are called to be lights in the world as believers. The culture we live in today is getting more and more secular, Judeo-Christian principles were the foundation of our government that the faith of our founding fathers brought into being. Today those principles are fading or even unknown to many of our citizens. As Christians, we can get so caught up with the worldly culture surrounding us and all its enticements that people can't tell us apart and know us as Christians. If so, we fail our faith commitment to our belief in Jesus. Unbelieving friends or acquaintances will miss the opportunity to know about Jesus and will stay in the darkness of unbelief, maybe never again having a close exposure. We are to be influential. Let's let our light shine. Prayer: Father, help us to not fade into our worldly culture, but live so our light shines and influences others that need to know you. Amen Ruth Sprouse Back to top |
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Saturday, March 28, 2015 & October 2, 2020 - "The Connection" Series |
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Scripture: 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT) – “That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” Message: Jesus was misunderstood and rejected during His life on earth. He was crucified because the rulers of His day, who were considered wise and great, lacked the wisdom and understanding of the ancient Scriptures’ prophecies. Who knows what blessings God would have bestowed on them had they had open hearts to Jesus’ teachings? As we have discussed in our Disciple class, we are living a temporary life here on earth. Our real home is eternal life in heaven, which Jesus’ death and resurrection made possible. While here on earth, we who love God can have God’s guidance, comfort and provision, all the while anticipating the joys and glories (which we can’t even imagine) that await us in heaven. That anticipation and hope, with the help of God’s Spirit, can give us the perseverance and courage to get through challenging and difficult times and keep us on the right path with God. This life is not all that there is. God’s Word tells us the best is yet to come and it’s going to be good. Prayer: Thank You Jesus for dying on the cross for our sins and making it possible to live with You forever in the joys and the glories of heaven. Amen.
Ruth
Sprous |
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Thursday, March 27, 2014 & Tuesday, August 11, 2020 - "The Connection" Series |
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Scripture: Colossians 2:6-7 (NIV) – “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.” Message: As I think about some of the circumstances and situations around this beautiful world of ours, I feel so blessed. I am a person that is still fully functional in (do I want to say it?) my old age. I live in a home filled with familiar things and comfort. I have family, friends, and a church family where I have a sense of belonging. And, I have a Savior who loves me, watches over me, and provides for me. I am assured of an eternal home, thanks to Jesus and His cross and resurrection. My heart is grateful and I am abundantly blessed. Prayer: Thank You Lord for Your love and sacrifice for us on the cross. Amen.
Ruth
Sprous |
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Thursday, December 11, 2014 & Saturday, February 13, 2021 |
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Scripture: Isaiah 9:2 (NRSV) – “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness, on them light has shined.” Message: I love this verse that foretells the light of love that the Christ child brought to the world 2000 years ago. That light still shines today in believers’ hearts, minds and lives. His light brings us peace, strength and awareness of His Divine Spirit within us. John said in his gospel’s first chapter that Jesus’ life was the light of men and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not overcome it. Because of His birth, life and resurrection, we receive His light which fills us with hope. Knowing Christ lights our path, life’s worries and fears can fade, hope emerges and we can have the expectation of His blessings. This world is troubled. What would it be like if we had no reason to hope? But we believers can be assured of our hope because Jesus said He has overcome the world (John 16:33c NKJV). Be of good cheer everyone and have a blessed and merry Christmas. Prayer: Lord Jesus, I pray for your light to shine brightly in this troubled world in each of our hearts. Help us to use Your light to guide our paths in life. Amen.
Ruth Sprous |
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