Sunday, January 4th, 2014 “1st Voice” ________________________________________ My Utmost for His Highest: by Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) “Why cannot I follow thee now?” “Peter said unto Him, Lord, why cannot I follow Thee now?” John 13:37. ________________________________________ My determination is to be my utmost for His Highest. ________________________________________ To be an Uncommon Believer….Let the “First Voice” You Hear in the Morning….Be the Voice of the LORD. ________________________________________ ISAIAH 50: 4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. 5 The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back. ________________________________________ Man is not God but hath God’s end to serve, A master to obey, a course to take, Somewhat to cast off, somewhat to become. Grant this, then man must pass from old to new, From vain to real, from mistake to fact, From what once seemed good, to what now proves best. …..Robert Browning ________________________________________ Run Today’s Race: “It is a great moment when we realize we have the power to trample on certain moods, a tremendous emancipation to get rid of every kind of self-consciousness and heed one thing only: the relationship between God and myself.” … Oswald Chambers ________________________________________ My Utmost for His Highest: by Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) “Why cannot I follow thee now?” “Peter said unto Him, Lord, why cannot I follow Thee now?” John 13:37. There are times when you cannot understand why you cannot do what you want to do. When God brings the blank space, see that you do not fill it in, but wait. The blank space may come in order to teach you what sanctification means; or it may come after sanctification to teach you what service means. Never run before God’s guidance. If there is the slightest doubt, then He is not guiding. Whenever there is doubt—don’t. In the beginning you may see clearly what God’s will is—the severance of a friendship, the breaking off of a business relationship, something you feel distinctly before God is His will for you to do, never do it on the impulse of that feeling. If you do, you will end in making difficulties that will take years of time to put right. Wait for God’s time to bring it round and He will do it without any heartbreak or disappointment. When it is a question of the providential will of God, wait for God to move. Peter did not wait on God, he forecast in his mind where the test would come, and the test came where he did not expect it. “I will lay down my life for Thy sake.” Peter’s declaration was honest but ignorant. “Jesus answered him . . . The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied Me thrice.” This was said with a deeper knowledge of Peter than Peter had of himself. He could not follow Jesus because he did not know himself, or of what he was capable. Natural devotion may be all very well to attract us to Jesus, to make us feel His fascination, but it will never make us disciples. Natural devotion will always deny Jesus somewhere or other. ________________________________________ Oswald Chambers on Prayer: Prayer is not just an exercise routine God has us on; it’s our business, our only business. Prayer is our holy occupation. Plain and simple: OUR HOLY OCCUPATION REQUIRES BOLDNESS: “JESUS says there are times when our heavenly Father will appear as if He were a most unnatural father, callous and indifferent. But remember, says Jesus, I have told you everyone who asks receives. When we get into spiritual confusion the usual way out is to say we have made a blunder, and we go back instead of forward. I dont know what to do; I am up against a stone wall. Will you hang in to what Jesus said? If there is a shadow on the face of God the Father just now, remain confident that ultimately He will give His clear issue as Jesus said. It is not a question of black or white or right or wrong, of being in communion or out of communion; but a question of God taking us by a way which in the meantime we do not understand.” ________________________________________ Chronological Reading- Thru the Bible in One Year: Today’s Scriptures: Job 1-5 biblegateway/passage/?version=NKJV&search=job+1-5 ________________________________________ Prayers That Avail Much: January 4 “Holy Spirit, because You have helped me to adjust my priorities and my focus to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, everything I need is provided each day - from divine understanding, connections, wisdom, promotion, health, riches and honor.” Matthew 6.33 Daily Confession: “Because the Lord is my Shepherd, I have everything I need!” (Psalm 23:1, TLB.) ________________________________________ “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much!”…James 5:16. ________________________________________ 2Timothy 2: 1-8; 2 Chronicles 7:14 To submit prayer requests: E-Prayer’ (NHCC office: [email protected]) ________________________________________ Quotes by: Dietrich Bonhoeffer (February 4, 1906 – April 9, 1945) “An image needs a living object, and a copy can only be formed from a model. Either man models himself on the god of his own invention, or the true and living God molds the human form in his image. There must be a complete transformation, a metamorphosis (Rom. 12:2; 2 Cor. 3:18), if man is to be restored to the image of God.” More to come……………. { dbonhoeffer.org/} ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Isaiah 40: 28: Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. 29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: 31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” James 4: 8 -~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ To start the New Year with “Wisdom Warriors” (YOUTH Fellowship: ages 12-22) Carry In Evening Meal for New Year’s 2015 @ Menke’s home, Sunday, January 4th @ 5:00 PM (r.s.v.p. please) RSVP Please!!! [email protected] https://facebook/PastorJimMenke (and/or messenger) PastorJimMenke@gmail Pastor’s Cell: 419-303-1300 (TEXT! PLEASE) & A big plus: NEW YEAR’S REVOLUTION YOUTH PIZZA PARTY Wednesday, January 7 / 7:00 pm $2 each person to cover costs. Bring your friends! It’s going to be fun! En Agape, Pastor Jim Menke [email protected] New Hope Christian Center 2240 Baty Road Lima, Ohio 45807 To be ADDED to the “1st VOICE” mailing list… please e-mail: [email protected] and type SUBSCRIBE in the Subject Line. You will be ADDED A.S.A.P.
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 13:49:16 +0000
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