The Week In Review

Destined for Greatness
(Preached at Langley Avenue Church of God 2/17/08)

We have heard this scripture read before, Psalm 139:14 “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” KJV

But we don’t get the impression the people live this way, with this understanding when we listen to the news and the media today. We hear some disheartening things about the world we live in, and especially our youth. Let me give you some of the statistics of what’s happening in our world:

* There were 2.6 million new marijuana users in 2003. That was an average of 7,000 new users each day. 69% of these new users were under 18. That is 4,830 teens (and of those 52% are girls). If these trends are still true today, then that means 2,560 teen girls and 2,270 teen boys will start smoking marijuana this very day.

* Stats show that 80% of teens are involved in some type of music piracy within a six-month period of time and of this number a large percentage say they are born again believers or attend church.


* Statistics show that every day 1,000 new teens start to drink. If these numbers are still true today, then 1,000 teens will have their first drink this Sunday.

* 5.1 million teens say they binge drink.


* Statistics show that nearly ½ of all teens say they have had sex by their 18th birthday. Their hope was for the romantic feelings they saw in movies and the media. However, the reality of it set in and of that total, 61% of girls said they wish they had waited, and 40% of boys said the same.

* 1n the year 2000, there were 14.5 abortions per 1,000 teen females (ages 15-17)

These are only a few of the statistics of things happening in our world. When you hear this statistics, it might make you feel things are hopeless. What has happened in the world (especially in the Christian world) is we have heard these types of statistics about our youth and we have written them off. We have decided that many of these things are simply going to be, so why fight them. Our youth have been called such names as generation X as if they have no identity. But did you know something important about statistics? Statistics are numbers that report information that has happened and can only “Project” what might happen.
In other words, these numbers are not a truth until it has happened. I’m here to tell you this; it is not God’s plan for you to be just another negative statistic. He has not planned it in his heart that our youth will become only stats of hurt, disappointment and sinful life styles. In fact the scripture said you were fearfully and wonderfully made.

What does that mean? When something is fearfully made it means extreme care has been used to get that thing just as the creator wants it. It has not been done haphazardly. To be wonderfully made means God took delight in how he made you. You are marvelously made, done up with the brilliancy of God and with his magnificence. So you and I were made with extreme care and when God looked at his finished work he delighted in it and thought his work was marvelous, brilliant and magnificent. And anything God took such time with, surely his has a plan for. God had a plan for you when he formed you in the womb of your mother.

You can find encouragement for that purpose in the word of God. Sometimes people find it hard to think the Bible can give you a hope for today, with today’s issues. Yet I want to tell you, that the Bible can do just that. Today, we will look at the lives of two young people in the scripture that will reaffirm this very point of you having significance in God.

DAVID
The first person we want to look at is David. Many know or have heard of David the great king or David and his battle with Goliath. Yet, we want to take a step back before those times. Let’s set the scene for David’s entrance into the scripture.

1 Samuel 8:5-7
They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." But when they said, "Give us a king to lead us," this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

The children of Israel did not want to follow after the priest anymore. Samuel was old and his sons were not doing as they should and the people decided they wanted to be like other nations and have a king. Samuel disapproved of it. But God told him to give them what they wanted.

Now Samuel did allow the people to pick a king and they picked Saul. Do you think they picked him because of his valour, or his strength? NO they picked him because he was taller than everyone else. The looked at outward things and made their decisions. Saul was an okay king for a while and then he became full of himself and God decided, I’m taking the kingdom away and I’m going to pick a king my way. So God calls Samuel to go and anoint the new king. We see this in 1 Samuel 16:1-13 (David anointed).

As we read the scripture about David he simply shows up on the scene, we never knew anything about him before. Yet here he is, ready to be anointed King. David shows up in the mind of the writer as he writes about David, but let me interject here. David may simply be showing up as a youth in this picture ready to be anointed king, but he was always on the mind of God. God knew when he formed David in his mother’s womb what his purpose for him was. He knew that he was fearfully forming him – with extreme care to have the attributes of a king and to show the wonderful, and marvelous work of God. So as we look at David he does not look like a king yet, but God sees his future and what he will become. So this small boy does not look like kingly material but he is not done yet. Read the history of David and you find that he becomes a great warrior, a fugitive hero (where he runs from Saul with a handful of fugitives as his followers. He becomes king of Judah. After Saul’s death the tribe of Judah elects him king. He becomes king of Israel on the death of Ishbosheth, Saul’s son. He immediately works at uniting the kingdom together. He is David the psalmist. Many of the psalms are attributed to David. He is also in the ancestral line to Jesus Christ).

So, what is the point? Come back next week for the next installment.

The Week in Review

Invest in Your Marriage and Reap the Benefits

Often times we, as married people are so busy with life that we neglect the importance of investing in our marriage. We become busy with life and we may soon find ourselves married to a stranger. How do we fight against growing apart?

50% of marriages will end in divorce. While this is a projection, it is said to be close to the norm. The Barna Group statistics show that Christian marriages are slightly higher than any other faith. However, those that have marital counseling before they are married are more likely to survive. It is said that out of those marriages that have counseling 1 in 39,000 will end in divorce that is 0.000256 percent.

We have all heard the saying, a family that prays together, stays together. This saying has much truth in it. It is important that married people spend time in the Word to help them with right expectations. This is one of the greatest weapons, I believe, the enemy uses to destroy us. If we have false expectations about what our spouses should do for us, we begin to doubt if this is the person we should be married to. The first thing we can do to protect our marriages is look to God and ask him what should be our expectations. We would quickly find that our spouses are not to be the source of our joy and happiness.

Yes, we promise in our vows that we write to do everything to make each other happy, but it is a promise we are not able to keep. No matter what you do to try to make your spouse happy you will fall short. The reason is our total happiness should not come from each other. Our true happiness has to come from God. When we seek God for our joy and happiness, this is what makes us “full”. When we are full (like a pitcher of water) then whatever is added to the pitcher is the overflow. So when my husband is home on time, it is the overflow, when he’s late, I’m still full so it does not take away from my fullness.

“and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:19). When we understand and know the love of God, this is what will fill our lives to the fullness of God. Is there anything fuller than that?

1. The first step in investing in our marriage is to seek our happiness and joy from the right source.

Lord, today I pray for marriages. Help us to invest wisely in our marriages by first allowing you to work in us your fullness. Help us to bring ourselves to you so that you can accomplish in us what needs to be accomplished. Help us to find our source of joy and happiness in our fellowship with you. When we do, then we have much to offer in marriage. Amen.

Picture Gallery

This was our annual Avon Luncheon. It is to honor the representatives that have sold over $10,000 each year. While this was a banquet about business, I am always seeking godly wisdom in everything I do.

This is a picture of two repesentatives Robert and Lynette. Robert sold Avon before, left and came back with the help of "Super" representative Lynette Rhymes. The spiritual principle I see in this is, we must be willing to extend a hand to others so that they too can grow and be able to come and "feast" at the banquet table. No not the Avon table, but at the banquet table that God has prepared for those that love him.

These were two newer representatives that I believe Lynette is mentoring. As she helps them to grow their business, they too will turn around and help someone else. That is what God wants us to do for the kingdom. When he gives us the tools we need to grow, then we are to turn around and help someone else grow and the process continues.

This is me with my Avon District sales manager, Barbara Sanders. She is a wonderful woman. She gives to all that are around her. She is willing to invest in others. Not just where Avon is concerned. She invested in me. That is what God wants us to do with others. Are you willing to invest in people so that they can reach their full potential?

This is me with my great and dear friend, Lynette. Lynette has kept me from leaving Avon on a few times when I was ready to let go. Sometimes we need those encouragers that will help us hold on. I have invested 26 years with Avon. Can you image that (I know you're thinking you don't even look that old!)

These women are also part of the Avon family. The woman in black, is one of the top salers in Avon for our district. She sales over $40,000 a year. Yet, she is still very sweet and encouraging. Isn't that what God wants us to be, sweet and humble? It does not matter how high we rise, he still wants us to stay approachable to those coming behind.

Words of Encouragement

When you receive understanding of something that has been eluding you, it is like a light going on overhead. God wants the light to go on for us. He wants to help us understand the mysteries of his word.

Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, - Luke 24:44-46

What are You Thinking? Opened Minds. I believe this is one of the greatest things God does for us next to the gift of salvation, he opens up to us his scriptures. What if you had to go to a city or a destination but you didn't have any directions? What would you do? You might try to ask someone that has gone before, but then how do you know they have given you correct information, you have no way of checking it?

Do you simple go out and just hope you get where you want to go? Do you know that is what so many people do with their souls? They don't have the direction but they just travel out and think they have it right. The wonderful thing is we don't have to go on our own thoughts, which we realized earlier this week can sometimes be warped and not accurate. Instead, God is waiting to open to us the road map for life.

God is waiting to open to you and I the right way to go. He wants us first to realize it is opened to us through Jesus, his son. Jesus becomes the door that you and I must enter to receive the blessings of God.

So today, I pray for us that we seek God to understand the things of God. We don't have to go simply on what somebody said (even though that is good to have people help you understand the word of God). We must come and seek him for ourselves. He will open to us the storehouse of his blessings. So this weekend when you go to worship, go seeking God to give you his thoughts and that he make your way, his way.

Words of Encouragement

Is your love wider than the expansive sky? God's is! Let us ask God to help us love people his way. He can grow our capacity to love his way. (Picture by James S. Williams)

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. - Mark 12:30

What are You Thinking? Whole Thinking. As I continue to walk this way I am sometimes confounded by individuals belief about God. How do we think we are loving God simply because of the stuff we do. Oh, you know, sometimes we can believe that we love God because we go to church, or we tithe or we serve on a position or post, so we believe that is enough. We in a sense, say look at me God, I'm doing your work.

Instead, as I read these words I think differently. I read a whole thinking. In other words, I must love God with all my heart and soul...that means all my desire turns toward him. I must love God with all my mind...that means my desire is to think godly thoughts at all times. I must love God with all my strength...that means my efforts are all to do God's will.

This requirement is far greater than me simply "doing" something for God. It means I am willing to let go of myself completely into God's capable hands so that he can live through me. He lives through me when I am willing to turn my heart towards him. He is able to live through me when my desire is to please him. He is able to live through me when my thoughts are to do and think his way. That means I pray right, I worship right I love right. And then he is able to live through me because all my efforts are for his purpose.

Today Lord, help us to live for you and to love you. If we say we love you then we will obey you. That is how we show our love. It is good for us to do, but let us not become comfortable simply doing busy work and not taking the time to give you access to us in our entirety. Help us to yield.

Words of Encouragement

When you look at the sky above, do you ever wonder, "there is more above than my eyes can even see". It makes me think that God you are far grander than I can even image. God's greatness searches our hearts, and he determines if our life is being lived according to his will. (Picture by James S. Williams)

"I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds deserve." - Jeremiah 17:10

What are You Thinking? Examined Thoughts. The scripture says God examines our heart and mind. Do you wonder why he examines both? I had one of my professors write a comment on my paper last week and It is fitting to give you the meaning of that quote here. He said that the decline of the preacher starts first in the head before it gets to the heart. In other words, it is what a man thinks, that is who he is or will become.

If my thoughts are evil, do you not know that eventually my life will follow? Yet, if my thoughts are pure, then my life will begin to follow. I will no longer feel good in sin, because the thoughts I am having are being changed.

It is important to God what is in our hearts and our minds. He says he will examine them and according to what is there, he will give to us. If it is blessings, blessings we will receive, if it is punishment or chastisement, then punishment or chastisement.

Today, let us ask God, examine my thoughts. If there is anything there that should not be, please Lord we ask that you remove. If we are not walking as you would want us to, help us to align our hearts and mind to your way. So that we can become a man (or woman) that is thinking your thoughts and becoming the vessels of honor you have built us to be.

Words of Encouragement

In order for landscaping to be beautiful, someone has to dedicate time to cutting the grass when it grows too long, removing the weeds and feeding the lawn. When it is done, the right kind of landscaping is had. It is the same with our minds. We must allow someone (Holy Spirit) to remove those weeds, cut away those things with are not needed and feed so that one can grow.







You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal. - Isaiah 26:3-4

What are You Thinking? A Mind of Peace. Have you ever tried to focus on something for a long period of time? What normally happens? You begin to get distracted and that which you were focusing on is lost. That is what happens in our minds. We become discouraged by our situations and circumstances because our minds lose focus and begin to drift to the wrong things.


What we need is to be able to keep our minds steadfast, but how do we do that? It is by the disciplines that we have in our lives. Someone said in order for something to become a habit it takes at least 30 days of continually doing it, for it to take root. So, if we want to have a mind that stays focused on God, we must cultivate activities in our lives that will help us to do that. We must read our word. We must pray and listen to the Holy Spirit's direction. We must mediate and encourage ourselves as we remind ourselves whom we belong to.


So today, if you want a mind of peace you have to seek it from God. He offers it to you, but you must do something to receive it. You have to change your focus. God will do his part, by giving it to you, but then you must live in the way that you can continue to receive. I pray that we would trust in the Lord for he is our rock, eternally. He never stops being God! He promises us that he will keep us in peace if we but focus on those things that are lovely, pure, and trustworthy. We can find these things in him.