What was the caption under your senior class yearbook photo? For many of us, we expected LEAST LIKELY TO SUCCEED. Some of us still think of ourselves in those terms.
If that describes you, you’re qualified to be one of God’s chosen people. What kind of people does God choose? Imperfect people—they’re the only kind.
Take a look in the Bible and among others you’ll find a murderer who wrote, “Don’t kill.” You’ll discover an apostolic killer who became a pillar. And if you read long enough, you’ll see cowards who became heroes, losers turned into leaders, and nobodies who became somebodies.
How? Because God turns weaknesses into strengths.
Why? So everyone knows that God is responsible for whatever good things happen.
The fact is we can’t accomplish anything without his help. But with his help, we can do everything he asks of us—far more than we can imagine.
When we don’t believe in ourselves, we need to remember that God believes in us.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Right Where You Belong
Strong churches are built with strong people. But they exist for those who are weak.
Most of us have no problem identifying one of the major problems in our lives. All we have to do is look in our mirrors. But the problem goes much deeper than the image we see or the ones we portray to others.
Much of our time seems to be spent on trying to find a place where we fit, a place where we feel comfortable. We want to be part of something more than we can ever be on our own. We want to belong. We long to be applauded, even acclaimed, for our gifts and talents. But we want more than that.
We’re not content with being liked for what we do. We want to be loved for who we are.
Unfortunately, today too many people feel excluded by the church, rather than included in it. The church—that vast cross-cultural, diverse group of people, not a collection of buildings—isn’t intended to either isolate or insulate us from the world. The good news of God’s love isn’t meant to immunize us against temptation, but rather to inoculate us against sin.
Will we sin after God forgives us? Of course we will; we’re human. And when we do, we need fellowship with fellow strugglers. We need to know we’re not alone and that God isn’t mad at us. Likewise, others need to hear from us that we’ve been where they are, that God helped us, and that he doesn’t love us more—or less—than he loves them.
This is one of the primary reasons we belong in church: We need one another. And I can’t think of a better place to be than where I’m needed most.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
Most of us have no problem identifying one of the major problems in our lives. All we have to do is look in our mirrors. But the problem goes much deeper than the image we see or the ones we portray to others.
Much of our time seems to be spent on trying to find a place where we fit, a place where we feel comfortable. We want to be part of something more than we can ever be on our own. We want to belong. We long to be applauded, even acclaimed, for our gifts and talents. But we want more than that.
We’re not content with being liked for what we do. We want to be loved for who we are.
Unfortunately, today too many people feel excluded by the church, rather than included in it. The church—that vast cross-cultural, diverse group of people, not a collection of buildings—isn’t intended to either isolate or insulate us from the world. The good news of God’s love isn’t meant to immunize us against temptation, but rather to inoculate us against sin.
Will we sin after God forgives us? Of course we will; we’re human. And when we do, we need fellowship with fellow strugglers. We need to know we’re not alone and that God isn’t mad at us. Likewise, others need to hear from us that we’ve been where they are, that God helped us, and that he doesn’t love us more—or less—than he loves them.
This is one of the primary reasons we belong in church: We need one another. And I can’t think of a better place to be than where I’m needed most.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
High Priority
What does spiritual wellness have to do with physical health? In his third letter, John makes a connection when he expresses hope that we will enjoy both.
So if there is a correlation, even a causative effect, how can we improve our quality of living?
There’s nothing new about our need for healthy food, regular exercise, and good rest. So, why don’t we do what we know is right?
One reason may be because we misunderstand grace. While all foods are lawful, not everything we eat is food. Sometimes we make poor choices; we neglect our physical health. Other times we wish we could be someone other than who we are; we reject what God has given us. Or worse, we blame him for our behavior. We can also go to the extreme, become obsessed with our bodies. The results can be disastrous, even deadly. We can be lured into dysfunctional lifestyles or self-worship. And when we do anything other than what God recommends, grace won’t prevent us from suffering the consequences.
God wants us to enjoy living. To get the most out of life, we need to make choices based on what God says is good for us. When we do, we can rest assured that he will keep his promises. And we’ll literally eat the fruit of our labor.
So, go ahead. Live it up. Make time for yourself to eat right, enjoy your leisure, and rest. Make healthy living a high priority. God doesn’t mind if you take a little time off. In fact, he created one day each week so you could do just that.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
So if there is a correlation, even a causative effect, how can we improve our quality of living?
There’s nothing new about our need for healthy food, regular exercise, and good rest. So, why don’t we do what we know is right?
One reason may be because we misunderstand grace. While all foods are lawful, not everything we eat is food. Sometimes we make poor choices; we neglect our physical health. Other times we wish we could be someone other than who we are; we reject what God has given us. Or worse, we blame him for our behavior. We can also go to the extreme, become obsessed with our bodies. The results can be disastrous, even deadly. We can be lured into dysfunctional lifestyles or self-worship. And when we do anything other than what God recommends, grace won’t prevent us from suffering the consequences.
God wants us to enjoy living. To get the most out of life, we need to make choices based on what God says is good for us. When we do, we can rest assured that he will keep his promises. And we’ll literally eat the fruit of our labor.
So, go ahead. Live it up. Make time for yourself to eat right, enjoy your leisure, and rest. Make healthy living a high priority. God doesn’t mind if you take a little time off. In fact, he created one day each week so you could do just that.
Want to learn more? Visit http://praisechapelkingman.podblaze.com to hear a sermon by Senior Pastor Howard Pennington or any of our pastors or guest speakers.
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