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In His Praise! Good News from East Point C.P. Church July 9, 2023 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17   2 Corinthians 5:17 is a beautiful and reassuring verse! Penned by Paul (formerly Saul), he knew all to well about the changes that Christ can bring about in one’s life. Saul was a hater of Christians and the church. He was on a mission to destroy the church,  put christians in jail and squash this new religion. We read in Acts 8:1 that he was present at the stoning of Stephen and gave his approval. Saul was vile man with a cold, hateful heart. But, God stepped in and changed Saul. He channeled all…

“Wait for the Lord: be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 Waiting for an answer can be difficult, but this verse reminds us that God is always in control. When we go to Him with our burdens, worries and questions He always hears us. God does not forget, nor does He ignore our needs. God is working in unseen ways to bring about the very best outcome for us. We must remain faithful, continue to pray and trust that an answer is on the way. Ephesians 6 tells us to “stand firm” with the whole armor of God covering us.  What joy we will know when the answers we seek come, our problem is resolved and our burden is lifted! Praise and thanksgiving should be…

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 Oh how we should praise the Lord everyday — all day! When we wake up in the morning we can be thankful for life, rest, safety and new strength for the coming day.  Throughout the day we can praise Him for His loving guidance, his provisions and His protection. At night we can praise and thank Him for  His grace that has helped us through another day. We can thank Him for the rest and renewal that evening will bring. God’s goodness surrounds us all the time and His compassions for us are “new every morning.” Lamentations 3:23 Thank you, Lord!

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” Matthew 6:9b Happy Father’s Day to all we look to as Dad. Being a father is an awesome responsibility and requires love, patience, diligence and sometimes sternness. Those men that fill the roles of dad, stepdad, grandfather, or guiding friend are not alone though. They can look to our Heavenly Father for a perfect example to follow.  Being a Dad is not always easy and we should lift these men up in our prayers daily. There are also young men that have not come to be fathers yet, but still can begin to set a Godly example to others. They need our prayers too. It is said,”the hand that rocks the cradle shapes the nation.” This is true for both parents. Mothers…

I rejoiced with those that said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1 A common topic of discussion among churches nowadays is the subject of church growth. Churches, of all denominations, are experiencing a continued decline in attendance. We ponder the reasons for this decline. Do we let other obligations and attractions fill our schedule until  we do not have time for church? Is it lack of dedication? Or is it that social media has brought the church service right into our homes? We no longer have to get dressed and go out, we can watch the weekly sermon sitting on our couch in our pajamas. Or, does the devil have such a downward pull on the world that we are blinded to the…

“Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and  filled the whole house… All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit…”Acts 2:2 and 4 Wind can be strong and powerful as in a tornado or hurricane! These winds can cause great destruction and even death. Wind can also be soft and refreshing like a cool breeze on a hot day. Winds scatter seeds across the land, give lift to our kites, power sailboats and turn windmills.  Throughout the Bible wind is mentioned. God sent a strong wind to dry the earth after the great flood, Genesis 8:1. God used wind to part the Red Sea and make a dry path for the Israelites to cross over, Exodus 14:21. In the New Testament we read…

“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…” Isaiah 49:16 We are forgetful people. Our finite brains can not retain all that we have seen or heard. We quickly forget names of people we are introduced to, we can not recall details about events we have attended and we sometimes have difficulty remembering passwords, codes and etc. Some people are better than others about pulling up such information from their brains. Some have learned techniques that help them remember, and there are also medications that claim to improve memory. But, the truth is, we all have lapses of memory from time to time. After all, we are only human, right? But, thankfully, God is not like us! What a joy to know that God never forgets us!…

“…a women that fears the Lord is to be praised.” Proverbs 31:30b Women are special people. Eve, the first woman, was created by God for a specific purpose. That was to be a mate for Adam and she was a perfect partner for Adam, until she listened to the wrong one — Satan. We can read about many remarkable women in the Bible, such as Esther, Ruth, Sarah, and Mary, just to name a few. Throughout history we have read and heard of many others like Marie Curie, Helen Keller, Amelia Earhart, and Princess Diana, who used their abilities and/or status for the good of others. The work and contributions these women made to the world is notable and worthy of recognition.  But in our verse today we are reminded…

“Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done.” 1 Chronicles 16:8 “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…” These familiar words are sung in many churches each week. Singing them may be so routine for us that we do not even think about the meaning behind them. We are blessed everyday. It is easy to remember to thank God for the big blessings like salvation and eternal life; and we are all grateful when we feel good and we have strength and energy to do the things we need to do. But what about all the other gifts that God lovingly bestows upon us? Do we remember to thank Him for letting us enjoy time with family and friends, a…

“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 Life can become chaotic. We have jobs to do, meetings to attend, families to care for and obligations to meet. It’s easy to become tired, overwhelmed, even “burned out”,  not only in our professional lives, but also in our church activities and responsibilities. When this happens we suffer emotionally and spiritually; and, our families and those closest to us suffer too. The stress of overwork can cause us to lose sight of  God’s calling and then we miss out on the blessings that He has for us. Our joy in serving the Lord may seem to disappear,…