We are continuing
to explore what returning to God is about with our 2016 theme of RETURN at The Community Fellowship. Often to return means there has to be a
change. It could be a change of heart, a
change of thinking or a change in action.
Our current series called LIES is focusing on the changes we must make
to align ourselves with truth.
This is our theme verse:
Joel
2:13 NLT
“Don’t tear your clothing in your
grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the LORD your God, for he is
merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He is eager to relent and not punish.”
Repent and return to God. Don’t stay where you are or as you are. God is full of mercy. His compassion is new every day, and our God
is ready to show us His love. His love is
based not on what we do but on what Jesus has done for us. Therefore, to return means to line ourselves
up with what we see as God’s character.
He is truth.
What lies are we holding on to that keep us from
fully experiencing and understanding God?
What truth are we not holding to that will give us freedom and joy and
abundant life. Remember!
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth,
and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Our God is truth.
He sent His son to open the way to life.
Don’t miss this.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and
destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
The lies we believe and act upon come from our enemy. By choosing lies we leave the best of life,
God’s abundant life in a place we cannot reach it. By acting upon God’s truth we embrace God’s
best, His abundant life for us. That is
what I believe God has in store for all of us.
Is that what you want?
Have you ever been through struggles that seemed
extra large or extra tough to handle? In
Genesis 12 Abraham was in the middle of a struggle inside him as there is for
each of us with good and evil, right and wrong.
There was the struggle to protect himself which was detrimental to
others. There was the struggle to think
of himself rather than others.
do not merely
look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
We will find our purpose when we quit covering for
ourselves and start serving others. Life
gets bright and better as we allow our focus to be on other people rather than
on us.
To let go of self and serve others means we lean more
on God than ourselves. This is another
part of self-discipline and total opposite of self-preservation.
How does our self-preservation defeat the promised of
God? Think about it. Our actions ought to line up with our
belief. And when they don’t line up, it
is time to get honest and return to God.
“Trust
in the Lord forever, For in God
the Lord, we have an
everlasting Rock.
God is faithful,
through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Our God really is faithful. He guards us better than we can guard
ourselves. Returning to God happens on a
daily basis as we trust God.
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