All to Him I Owe

1. Break out of the bonds of servitude and get out of debt! Proverbs 22:7 states, “The rich ruleth over the poor and the borrower is servant to the lender.” The economic forecast all predict that hard times are on the horizon of our nation. One of the chief things that we can personally do to prepare for those times is to get out of debt to avoid that excess weight during hard times. Work hard this year at paying things off and cutting expenses in your efforts to get out of debt.

2. Lower your standard of living and raise your standard of giving. Many people say, “If I made more I would give more.” Instead of waiting to get more would you consider lowering your standard of living? Eat out less, scale back on the luxuries of life and use though funds to give more to something that will last for eternity. Let’s quit waiting for more and give generously from what we have already been given.

3. Quit robbing God and tithe! Tithing is the training wheels of giving. It is not designed to be the end point but rather the starting point of our giving. It is a practical way we can articulate our recognition that God has supplied our needs and to give Him thanks. God doesn’t bless thieves! Let’s quit robbing God and give Him our tithes and much more.

This Sunday we began a series of messages for our annual “Vision Month.” This message poses the question, “Are you still drinking milk when you should be eating meat?” It helps us understand how to grow spiritually.

The opening text that serves as our platform is Proverbs 6. Turn there in your Bible and join us in this study.

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During our Sunday evening service I lead us through Luke 13:1-9 attempting to help us know how to use the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut as a gospel platform. Many of us will be interacting with neighbors, co-workers, and family members that are trying to process this tragedy. Christ models some wonderful principles in this text to help us minister.

The one thought I tried to press most was the way that the Lord gently turned the conversation away from the dead and focused the conversation to the living. In a similar way we must gently turn our conversations away from “why did those children have to die?”  to ask the living “have you ever wondered why you are still alive?” From that platform we can graciously present the gospel.

You can download the handout (with some additional principles) from that message here

This last Sunday I finished a two part session on Spiritual leadership in the home in our men’s Sunday School class. The first session was “Defining Spiritual Leadership.” Sadly, we were not able to record that one, but we were able to record the 2nd session. Here is the podcast to part 2 “Disciplines of Spiritual Leadership.”

Click here to download handout

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