Feb 14th 12
Posted by admin in Encouragements
Today is Valentine’s Day, a day where many people worship earthly romantic relationships. And even as Christians, it is so easy to fall into this trap–to turn to the opposite sex, or your friends and family, as your source of love and fulfillment. But when we look at 1 John 4, we can see that this desire for love and affection can only be fully satisfied by true love, the love we have from our heavenly Father as demonstrated through His Son, Jesus Christ.
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” – 1 John 4:10 (NIV)
Now this is what love is. Here is a straight definition for us: it is God sending Jesus to earth as a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus Christ is God’s proclamation of His love for us. As we sing in the hymn How Deep the Father’s Love for Us, God’s love is beyond all measure. Why? Because He gave His only Son to make a wretch (i.e. us) His treasure!
In light of this, it seems silly to celebrate our flawed, temporary, human love. So, instead of celebrating the artificial romantic love we see in movies or sing about in popular music, let us celebrate the love we have from our Father in heaven–a love that is far deeper and greater than we could ever hope or imagine.
Feb 9th 12
Posted by admin in Encouragements
As we prepare our hearts for Bible study this Friday, and next Thursday’s year prayer night, I am reminded of something we learned in our last Bible study. As Christians, we have had the veil over our hearts removed, allowing us to see God’s glory (2 Corinthians 15-16). And what a blessing that is–it is only through turning to God that the veil is taken away–this is nothing we can do on our own.
So what can we do with the ability to see God’s glory? We can praise God! In Psalm 66, the psalmist writes of how He praises God through his offerings to God (verses 13-15), through conscientiously paying the vows he made to God when he was in trouble (verses 13-14), and through his declarations to his friends (verse 16). Psalm 66:16 reads:
“Come and hear, all you who fear God;
let me tell you what he has done for me.”
KCCF, I pray that you may bring others to praise God by telling them about the work He has done in your life. Telling others allows them to help you further glorify and praise our great and mighty God (I know that’s confusing… feel free to read that sentence again). It will also edify and encourage them (Psalm 34:2). Brothers and sisters, let us not waste our God-given ability to see how He is working, and let us give Him all the glory, honour, and praise!
Jan 31st 12
Posted by admin in Encouragements
I was reminded in a sermon this past Sunday of the importance of spending alone time with God (the audio from the Jan. 29 sermon should be available on the RHCCC website in a few days). The pastor read from Luke 6:12-19, where it talks about how Jesus went to a mountainside and spent the night praying to God. Then, when morning came, He chose His twelve apostles from among His disciples. Later on in the day, He and His disciples ministered to people from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon. Reading this by myself, I probably would have skimmed over this whole passage, but my pastor reminded us to look at how Jesus spends His time. At nighttime, He spent time in solitude (praying with God); the morning was for community (calling His apostles); and the rest of the day was for ministry (healing disease, and curing people of evil spirits).
Not only is this a picture of how Jesus spent His time, it is a great reminder of where our priorities should lie. It is through our alone time with God that we are called into community, and it is also where ministry begins. To put it simply, think of it like this: SOLITUDE -> COMMUNITY -> MINISTRY. The former fuels the latter. With this in mind, your time spent with God in prayer and reading His Word is of utmost importance. So how is your personal relationship with Christ today? Are you valuing your time spent alone with God?
