Have you ever heard someone say “I got a better offer”
Sometimes people say that and others looking on don’t think it is a better offer
Sometimes it is just taking an offer in a moment when it wasn’t thought through
Often times that better offer ends up being much less than what you could have had
Don’t settle for less!
Eph 3:14-19 NASB
He wanted them to understand that, even if he was in prison, they could still be filled with the Holy Spirit
Surely after Paul was put in prison they may have felt as if all was lost
Maybe what they had was as good as it was going to be
He was praying in 16 that they would be blessed and strengthened through the Holy Spirit
He knew there was more and he didn’t want them to lose heart and settle for less
Sometimes it isn’t losing heart as much as it is losing sight of the things ahead
Believers sometimes get so wrapped up in the here and now they forget about the eternal
The problem with doing that is we are settling for something temporary
Instead of striving for something more
John 10:10 Jesus says “I came that they might have life and have it abundantly”
That believers would see the breadth and length, height and depth
Before we settle for the tiny things this life has to offer we need to see how much more we could have
The prince of this world, satan, tries desperately to make this world beautiful and pleasing to you
He knows that if you look past this world you will not settle
If we allow ourselves to be satisfied in this world, we have not received that fullness God offers
When we are only partially filled, it is much easier for satan to make us ineffective by settling for less
The only thing that will lead to is buyers remorse
Do you long for a life that is full and abundant?
Do you know the one that can give it to you?
Don’t settle for less when the best is available!
- Oct 17, 2021Don’t Settle For Less
Oct 17, 2021Don’t Settle For LessBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2021
Have you ever heard someone say “I got a better offer”
Sometimes people say that and others looking on don’t think it is a better offer
Sometimes it is just taking an offer in a moment when it wasn’t thought through
Often times that better offer ends up being much less than what you could have had
Don’t settle for less!
Look with me today to
Eph 3:14-19 NASBPaul was writing this passage to the church at EphesusHe wanted them to understand that, even if he was in prison, they could still be filled with the Holy Spirit
Surely after Paul was put in prison they may have felt as if all was lost
Maybe what they had was as good as it was going to be
Look at verse 13Because he knew their weakened state, he prayed for themHe was praying in 16 that they would be blessed and strengthened through the Holy Spirit
He knew there was more and he didn’t want them to lose heart and settle for less
Sometimes it isn’t losing heart as much as it is losing sight of the things ahead
Believers sometimes get so wrapped up in the here and now they forget about the eternal
The problem with doing that is we are settling for something temporary
Instead of striving for something more
John 10:10 Jesus says “I came that they might have life and have it abundantly”
Paul is still praying here that believers would live in Christ and be rooted in loveThat believers would see the breadth and length, height and depth
Before we settle for the tiny things this life has to offer we need to see how much more we could have
The prince of this world, satan, tries desperately to make this world beautiful and pleasing to you
He knows that if you look past this world you will not settle
“that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God”If we allow ourselves to be satisfied in this world, we have not received that fullness God offers
When we are only partially filled, it is much easier for satan to make us ineffective by settling for less
The only thing that will lead to is buyers remorse
Do you long for a life that is full and abundant?
Do you know the one that can give it to you?
Don’t settle for less when the best is available!
- Oct 13, 2021Bible Study – Ezra Chapter 2
- Oct 10, 2021Let’s Be Builders
Oct 10, 2021Let’s Be BuildersBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2021
Division
This seems to be the word of the 21st century
Every time you read a news story some group is angry at another group and unwilling to come together
We know that the lost world will always be this way but it is not how the church is called to be
In today’s world the church is just as much divided as the lost world
Do you know that almost anyone can do demolition but it takes skill to build
Look with me to
1 Thes 5:11-25 NASBThe very first verse of this passage is encouraging building one another upLet’s be builders within the church and those outside the church will notice
When I say the church, I’m speaking of the church universal, meaning all God’s people
This is something that 21st century Christians do not do very well. Build across the spectrum of all believers.
“Live in peace with one another”Are you getting this, we are to build up the whole body not just one arm and demo is not a good thing
This is called building up of the body of ChristAs I said before it takes skill to be a builder
You aren’t going to find a video on YouTube on being a builder of the body.
There isn’t a book at Lowes or Home Depot that can teach you.
How do I attain the skills to be a builder of the body?
This is exactly how you become a good builderNotice the first steps are “rejoice always” and “pray without ceasing”
If we follow those two steps, then what we are really doing is living in Jesus so he can teach us.
Something modern believers find very hard to do is give thanks in “everything”
We only want to be thankful for the “good stuff”
God uses all things to teach us how to be good builders
Vs 21 – 22 sound so easy but in this world these are areas we struggle in
When we do not abstain from evil we are tearing down and not building up
Satan is throwing everything he can at you to help you fail
But ultimately we are the ones that give in to evil or not
When we overcome the evil, through constant prayer it is God sanctifying us to continue to build
The greatest thing we can do to help each other in this endeavor is vs 25Pray for one anotherAre you a demolition specialist or are you ready to build?
- Oct 6, 2021Bible Study – Ezra Chapter 1
- Oct 3, 2021Rest
Oct 3, 2021RestBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2021The word rest brings many different thoughts to people Some immediately think of sleep Some a vacation Some even think of Retirement I want to look at why rest is important for the Human body 1 in 3 adults are not getting enough sleep according to a new study by CDC The American Psychological Association says that one large factor of sleep deprivation is STRESS WebMD lists stress as a factor in Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and even alzheimers disease No wonder rest is something people say they wantLook with me today to Matthew 11:27-30 to see what the scripture says about restFirst of all Jesus says “ALL things have been handed over to me by my Father”In vs 28 Jesus says “Come to Me” “Come to Me” doesn’t mean swing by for a minute. It means to live in Him. When we live in Christ daily we give Him everything. “All who are weary and heavy laden” are you tired, worn out, at the end of your rope? “come to Me” Jesus says and “I will give you rest” This isn’t a temporary rest. It’s not a day that you can sleep late or a vacation or even a day to just relax. This is permanent rest. He will give you rest by you living in Him daily. Vs 29 says “take my yoke upon you and learn from me” Jesus is telling you if you come to Him to live in Him daily He will give you rest by teaching you to give all your troubles to Him In order to take His yoke…..we have to let Him remove ours. “you will find rest for your souls” The burdens, the weariness, all this can be overcome if we allow Christ to remove our yoke and place His on us Again however, I want to remind you this isn’t a picture of a brief rest and then back to the grind This passage is showing us that Jesus wants us to live in Him and let Him be our Lord every day and night When we say Jesus come be my Lord, we have to let Him, every day“My yoke is easy and My burden is light”Doesn’t that sound much better than to be overloaded and burdened down? If you have never come to Jesus, He is calling you today, to give Him your life If you have asked Him to be your Lord already then strive to live in Him everyday, it is what He wants from us. Are you ready to Rest today?
- Sep 29, 2021Bible Study – Isaiah
- Sep 26, 2021First Place
- Sep 19, 2021Outside The Camp
- Sep 12, 2021We Will Never Forget
- Aug 29, 2021The Cowardly Lion
Aug 29, 2021The Cowardly LionBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2021
This morning we are all keeping our eyes on the weather. Hurricane Ida is making her presence known
For most of us the words “Hurricane headed for the Gulf Coast” are words that bring fear
Goliath:
Over 9 feet tall
Armor weighed 125lbs
Spear was over 12 ft long
Spear head weighed 33+ lbsDavid:
Less then 6 ft tall
Still a teen
Used a sling and a rockI give you all this information because I want you to get a context of this story
The point I want you to take away from all of this is: “the battle is the Lord's”
How did David, a young teen, have the courage to face the giant with only a sling and a rock?!?
He knew he had the power of God on his side, and nothing is impossible for God!
God is described as the Lion of Judah
Why the Lion?
Because the Lion is the fiercest animal in the Kingdom
David showed the courage of the Lion because, in God, he had that same power
Understand this, when you accept Jesus as your Lord, you too are given the power to overcome the world
Believers today have been given that same power to overcome the world
Christians you have the strength of the Lion
I spoke with the children this morning about the cowardly lion from “The Wizard of Oz”
He was the King of the jungle but he lacked the one thing he needed most...Courage
How could this be?!? He was a lion!
Somehow, something had happened to the Lion, and he lost his courage and believed he was forever weak
This gave him a paralyzing fear
Believers, today we are walking around in this world in some paralyzing fear believing we can’t
The one thing that can change all that, is remembering this fact: "the battle is the Lord’s"
David could look at that giant and know that he physically wasn’t able to defeat him
But, he knew that, without a doubt, God was able and the battle was His anyway
As believers, we wonder sometimes how someone can say “I don’t need God”
Then we turn around and live our lives as if “we don’t need God all the time”
Most days we think "I got this on my own"
When trouble strikes, we call on God. "Ok God, I need you this time."
The fact of the matter is that apart from God we can do nothing – John 15:5
When we trust in our own strength, we run around like a cowardly Lion,
Afraid to engage people in conversation about Jesus
Afraid to take a stand for our Heavenly Father
Afraid to do the mission that we were given as Christians – Go and Tell
We are the offspring of the Lion of Judah! Stop being a cowardly lion and walk in the power of God!
You can’t do that if you don’t know Him
Would you like to know Him today?
- Aug 25, 2021Bible Study – Isaiah
- Aug 22, 2021God Knows You
Aug 22, 2021God Knows YouBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2021
Psychologists say that, as a people, we typically only allow a few people to truly know us
That means that, we show most people what we want them to see instead of our true self
This includes close friends and family as well
As a result of that behavior, we sometimes believe that we can do the same thing with God
If we only behave a certain way around our church or our friends, surely God will believe this is how we are truly.
In fact, sometimes we try so hard to convince others that we believe the lies we tell ourselves
However, there is only one truth of who we are, and I promise you, God Knows you
“You have searched me and known me”In other words, God has looked in all our hidden places, and He knows us intimately
He knows us fully and completely, better than we even know ourselves
Look at vs 5-6This means that God has us grasped in His hand. He didn’t make us and leave us.He is protecting us from every side and He wants us to grasp that fact
The next several verses say; where can I go from your Spirit? The answer is nowhere
In other words, God is always with us. No matter what we get into, He is there
Sometimes, people believe that they have just strayed too far and God can’t reach them
There is no place too dark for God to reach you. God knows you completely and He loves you.Why?
Why does God love me and why does He care?
God hand-made you personallyWe aren’t a mold that a factory uses to mass produce things
God spent time individually making every person in this world. He made us with His love.
“And my soul knows it very well”
The reality is, that deep down we know that God made us and He loves us
However, we allow ourselves to believe the lies of the world
Satan and the world say that you are better than God and you don’t need God
Those are all lies and truly our soul knows it, if we listen
God made you to have a relationship with Him
For everyone of us, this should be our prayer dailyAs humans, we lie, and we lie even to ourselves, but God Knows you
He is always with you no matter where you go
Won’t you give yourself to Him today?