Living in the Sonrise

 Hi friend! :) This post is the fourth and last part in the blog post series "Come Home" based on the sermon I did at our church last month. To read the first three parts, click  here ,  here,  and  here ! The first three parts covered three false statements that we often believe about ourselves and God: Part One: "God could never want to be with me, I'm such a sinner." In this part, we discovered that Jesus came to be with sinners, and to lift them up to joy and peace in being with Him! Part Two: "I'm too far gone for God to love me." Here we looked at the story of the lost sheep, and how Jesus loves us no matter how far we've wandered away.    Part Three: "I'm not good enough, I'm just worthless." In this part, we looked at the parable of the lost coin and discovered that "the value of an object is determined by the price paid for it, and God gave everything for you. You are of infinite worth, because He paid an infini...

Hello friends!! Today's post is Part Two of the series "Come Home" which is based off a sermon I did at my church. Here is the link to read part one, if you missed it:  https://livinginthesonrise.blogspot.com/2023/05/come-home-part-one.html From Part One: " After the Pharisees started complaining about Jesus’ company, Jesus dealt with the matter as He often did: by telling parables. These parables show us the answers to our other statements!" So, the first parable is found in Luke 15:4-7. "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, m...

Hello friends! :) Over the next few blog posts, I'm going to be sharing a sermon that I recently gave at my church. If you want to watch it, here's the link:  https://www.youtube.com/live/7vihqoq77ag?feature=share  I really was stuck when I was writing it, but God really blessed and helped me to know how to put it together. I pray He speaks to your heart as you read it.  Have you ever believed one of these statements? “God could never want to be with me, I am such a sinner.” “I’m too far gone for God to love me.” “I’m not good enough, I’m just worthless.” “I’m not worthy to be called God’s child.” I think most of us have fallen into believing these lies at one time or another. Maybe we’ve heard that God loves us no matter what, but we have a hard time believing that it’s true. I know I have fallen into these traps before.  So how can we find the sure, true answers to these questions? Let’s go to Luke chapter 15.  Luke 15 starts off with this verse: “Then drew ne...

Hi, friend! :) Have you ever felt like you are too small for God to care about? Maybe you feel like God is too big to be concerned with your life, that you are not as important as all the other things and people in the world. My friend, this couldn't be further from the truth!  The other week, I was laying on the grass in my backyard, admiring the tiny purple flowers that were growing in the grass. Upon taking a closer look, I discovered that they were actually clusters of even smaller flowers! I was amazed as I picked one of the flowers from the cluster, and as I thought about how tiny the flower was, a song came on the playlist I was listening to: "Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, And long for heav’n and home; When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me. Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m...

Hi, friends! Today I'd like to share with you one of my favorite quotes of all time:  Mission: -to know Him  -to make Him known It's so simple, yet so profound: our whole lives revolve around these two things: falling in love with the Creator of the universe who died to save us, and telling everyone we meet about this God who loves us so much.  To Know Him How can we make known someone we don't first know? Something God has been impressing on my heart lately is the importance of getting to know Him. Many people, if you asked them if they know God, would say yes. But perhaps for some, they merely know of   Him, rather than truly knowing  Him.  For example, let's say Peter and Sallie are engaged to be married. In their free time, Peter plays basketball and Sallie goes shopping. They never spend any time together, only talk to each other when they have to, and one seldom thinks of the other. When they get married, will they really know each other? No! The...

Hello friends! :) Have you ever had an experience when you were reminded that God is with you, without a shadow of a doubt? Maybe you nearly escaped a terrible accident, or had a check come in the mail at the exact time you needed it, or someone shared a Bible verse with you that was just what you needed at that moment. Many times, these incidents strengthen our faith, like a hug or smile from God, reassuring us that He is with us and loves us and has a plan for us. But all too often, in the days, weeks, and months that follow, we forget what God has done for us, and we get discouraged and doubt that God is with us.  Israel often fell into this mistake. They, of all people, had the clearest evidence that God was with them. He parted the Red Sea for them, caused manna to fall from heaven every morning for them, He did so many other things for them, and His presence with them was visible in the form of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Yet they complained against the very...