I have never made any pottery, nor have I ever watched first-hand as someone  else created something  from clay. I have seen the results of someones meticulous work and skillful hands in such things as vases, bowls and other vessels. Many are beautiful works of art and are treasured.

Today, Rev. Nickles used scripture from Jeremiah 18:1-11 to explain how God can mold us into beautiful vessels for Him. When we give our lives to Jesus and accept His salvation for our sins, we become a new creation. God then begins to mold us into what He wants us to be. Our outward appearance may not change, but inside our attitudes, desires, thoughts and actions are changing. When we let Him, we become “clay” in God’s loving hands.

What a wonderful, secure and peaceful place to be — in the hands of Almighty God. He loves us with an everlasting and strong love that will never change or fade. He provides us with whatever is needed in our lives and He guides us to do His will. 

Thank you Heavenly Father!!

We all lose our way occasionally. We all need direction for our lives. If you are a child of God you should want to follow His will for your life. But even when we try our hardest, it is sometimes difficult to know what God wants us to do.

Today, Rev. Phil Nickles shared with the congregation five steps to help guide us to the heart of God.

They are:

1. Seek God everyday; in all things. 1 Chronicles 16:11
2. Submit to God and resist the devil. James 4:7
3. Know that God is love and He loves you. John 3:16
4. God is our shield, take refuge in Him.  Proverbs 30:5
5. Read and study the Bible to be transformed into what God wants you to be. Romans 12:2

God loves each of us and wants to bless us more than we can even imagine. 

What a great God we serve!

There is a lot of bad news in the world, many people are hurt and broken. Depression, loneliness, sickness, poverty, unemployment and many more are real problems that people face everyday. The news is filled with reports of murder, drug abuse and  all kinds of criminal activity that we are may be exposed to either directly or indirectly. Our society is a mess!

But as Christians we are called to minister to the world. But how can we do that when we don’t have answers for their problems or resources to help them or medicine to heal their diseases? It can be overwhelming. 

As God’s children we must remember that as we try to help others that God will supply whatever we need. He will give us the words to speak, the actions to take and provide the means we need to carry out His work. And we have the strongest, most powerful weapon of all to combat the evil in this world and that is prayer! 

So rejoice in the good news that God planned  before we were even born the things He wants us to do and He has already provided the way (paraphrased from Ephesians 2:10). Just as God called Jeremiah to be a prophet, He has work for us all to do (Jeremiah 1:4-5).  Like Jeremiah, we must step out on faith and follow God’s commands. 

We live in a disposable world. Conveniences that we use daily such as paper plates, napkins or plastic forks are common and we rarely think much about discarding them.

But what other things in our society have become disposable?  Insincere hearts, selfish motives and callousness can cause relationships to be carelessly used and then discarded; leaving hurt and emptiness. The scars of mistrust, frustration and low self-esteem loom over people’s lives keeping them from becoming all they can be.

But there is good news! God can encircle us with His love; a love that is strong, powerful and never ending. God’s circle of love can never be broken and He will never take it back. We may fail and slip away from God, but He will never leave us. God  is always waiting with loving, open arms to forgive us and to restore us.

Let’s encourage each other by sharing this good news with those that are hurt and lost.

Are you a planner? Do you think ahead of time about the things you want to do each day? Do you follow a strict schedule, make a to do list? Or, are you a person that just takes things as they come? Never thinking about tomorrow, let alone the next hour. 

Some things we do are just routine like getting up in the morning, going to work or school, getting dressed, eating breakfast. Many of the things we do during a 24 hour period are not planned ahead of time. We make hundreds of decisions throughout each day. Some are seemingly unimportant and really don’t change our lives very much. But still others are important, like what job offer to accept, what college to attend, where we should live.

You might ask, “who cares what my decisions are? It’s nobody’s business but mine anyway.” But Proverbs 5:21 tells us that our choices and decisions are being watched by God himself. Here we read,  “For a man’s ways are in full view of the Lord, and he examines all his paths.” Not only does God watch what we do , He examines it!

So, the greater question is not if you are a planner or not, but whether you let God lead you in your choices? Do you let His love shine through in all you do? Do people around you notice a difference in your attitude and ways? 

It is a good God that gives us a free will to make our own choices, but it is greater to know that He is so concerned with us that He watches and examines all we do? And, if we let Him, He will guide us in our paths and all our ways.