And rely on Him with 100 percent of your faith, for 100 percent of your life, throughout 100 percent of your tomorrows. He will give you a peace no thief can ever steal. – David Jeremiah
We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:9-14 (NIV)
May we look to the Holy Spirit to guide us and grow us into more Christlike followers of Jesus. May we be grateful for the Father’s grace and the work Jesus did for us upon the cross. Amen.
Father, may you be pleased with us and grant us peace in our hearts so that we might serve you better. Amen.
Today’s Passage: Luke 10: 25-37
Opening Prayer: Father God, who is our neighbor? May You, Lord God, give us eyes to see. Are we ready to be a neighbor? May You, Lord God, equip us to seek and serve. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
Opening Song: Brandon Heath – Give Me Your Eyes (Official Music Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5AkNqLuVgY
Message [used with permission from A Sermon for Every Sunday]: Power Play – The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost by Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, Senior Minister of the Riverside Church in New York City and for a decade prior to that as Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Washington, DC.
A lawyer asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus responds with the most famous parable of all, The Parable of the Good Samaritan, from Luke 10:25-37. But the Rev. Dr. Amy Butler, for five years the Senior Minister of the Riverside Church in New York City, reminds us not to mistake familiarity with understanding. After Jesus’ parable, the lawyer has to admit that the Samaritan was the neighbor. But that wasn’t the question he asked. The lawyer had asked, “Who is my neighbor?” But Jesus wanted to know who acted like a neighbor. Where does true power come from? It’s not about religion, rules, or hierarchies: it’s about getting off your donkey and serving your neighbor.
Closing Song: Jeremy Camp – Dead Man Walking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nf4ufekHjeg
Closing Prayer: At some point, I expect we all could have been found guilty of turning a blind eye to the needs of others. But, let’s move beyond the guilt and shame. May we open our eyes and choose to serve an awesome God. Teach us how to be the neighbor You would have us be? In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Epilogue: So, who is going to do it? They are saying nobody is going to do it. Well, want to learn who nobody is? Take a listen.
Casting Crowns – Nobody (Official Music Video) ft. Matthew West
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yBzIt_z8oY
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people—the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. Colossians 1:3-8 (NIV)
May this be true for you and me. May we thank God for what He does for each of us. May we love and pray for each other. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Luke 2:14 (ASV)
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased.
Faith and deeds… seems simple enough to me. How is it that you see someone’s faithfulness? Is there anything you could do today to show your faithfulness to others?
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.
You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
James 2:14-18, 20-22, 26 (NIV)
If peace seems elusive in your life today, commit yourself to God, commit your concerns to Him in prayer, and then rest peacefully as you trust in Him. – David Jeremiah
May we learn to trust in the Lord! He is faithful. Think back and remember the times that He has been there for you. He guides us, teaches us, is merciful toward us, and gives us hope and peace. May those things be yours. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.
I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.
Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, Lord, are good.
Good and upright is the Lord;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
Psalm 25 (NIV)
Father, as examples of your love, help us to become peacemakers in a world that is full of fear and suspicion. Amen.
Faithfully Yours Forever 