Thoughts for Life: WHAT YOUR FATHER WANTS

Mike Wittmer- "Steve grabbed his chainsaw and headed out to the woods. That's when he heard five-year-old August. 'Wait for me, Dad! I want to come!'

Grabbing his toy chainsaw, work gloves, and earmuffs, August followed Steve out the door. Steve set out a couple of logs for him a safe distance away. After ten minutes, August was worn out. Cutting logs with a fake chainsaw is hard work! But he was happy to 'help' his dad, and his dad was delighted to spend time with his son. Father and son with chainsaw

Isn't this how it is with our heavenly Father? We suppose we're helping. 'Wait for me, Dad! I need to get my chainsaw!' But our chainsaw is the least important thing about us. We're not helping as much as we think. God cares far more about the first part, 'Wait for me, Dad!' He doesn't need our output.

If you love his Son, Jesus, God has adopted you into His family and given you His Spirit. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. (Romans 8:15).

You're not a servant who earns his place by hard work. You're a child who's loved by your Father, no matter what. 'See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!' (1 John 3:1)

Our heavenly Father is delighted when we serve Him. But He doesn't need us. He simply wants us."

Let's pray-

Father, we try to help You with our problems, but the truth is, we're not accomplishing much. Our letting You organize and control everything is what makes things work together for our good and Your glory! As You have lavished on us the adoption of sonship, may we remember that Your desire is that we trust You to guide everything.

We pray in the name of Jesus for Your will to be done! Amen.

My weekly advice from the book, "We All Married IDIOTS, by Elaine W. Miller:

"We think we want more and think we deserve it. Don't believe it. The people we idolize are idiotic sinners too. Their grass turns brown in the winter just like ours." (Check out Colossians 3:8-9 ) (pg. 45)

#113 Quote- Life Action

"You don’t have to keep carrying hurts. God in Christ already did. The prison door is open. You don’t have to stay inside. Repentance isn’t God rubbing your nose in your failure. It’s God inviting you to walk in freedom. He convicts us because He loves us. He corrects us because He knows what we were made for. And He forgives us so that we can become more than we ever imagined."

1601-1606 One-line Scriptures for those of you who want to learn some more verses this week- or to review them from when they were first posted-

1601- Ecc. 3:21a "Who knoweth the spirit of man?"

1602- Ps. 88:9b "I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands

unto thee."

1603- Pro. 28:14a "Happy is the man that feareth (the LORD) always."

1604- Is. 28:21a "For the LORD shall rise up."

1605- Jer. 24:6a "I will set mine eyes upon them for good."

1606- Ps. 118:7a "The LORD taketh my part with them that help me."

#113 Hymn- I Would Be True

Howard Arnold Walter was born on 19 August 1883 in New Britain, Connecticut, United States of America. At 23 years of age, he spent a year in Japan, teaching English at Waseda University, and while there, he wrote the first three stanzas of the hymn, “I Would Be True.” He sent it to his mother in the United States of America, and she forwarded it to “Harper’s Magazine,” which published it.

Encouraging words-

"Work isn't necessarily prayer, but prayer is always work. Indeed, it is the greatest work, the highest work possible for a Christian. Yet it can have power and bring only through the intervention of the Holy Spirit into the life of the Christian." (Taken from The Struggle of Prayer, by Donald G. Bloesch.)

Church Notes:

Life-Changing Alteration

Our mission for our church is to reach folks by our witness through our life together.

We're to stir ourselves up and maintain a depth of faith in God who provides!

When we murmur or complain, even against others, God hears and takes it personally.

People complained against Moses, God said it was against Him!

God supplies answers for problems, when asked.

We're to look to the Cross of Calvary!

Upcoming posts:

11/29th- WOW!- Arthur Jackson

12/6th- A TOWER GARDEN- Mary Southerland

13th- THE GOSPEL ALPHABET- Ruth Graham