Let us therefore make every effort
to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.
Observation
• Everything we do, will affect others in some way.
• God created us to be interdependent, not independent.
• Treat others with love, patience, and self-restraint.
Prayer
Father, I desire to be a person who loves and you love.
Help me to be a model of faith, hope and love.
Help me to be a gainer and not a drainer.
Help me to promote peace and mutual edification.
In Jesus Name, Amen!
Let us not give up meeting together… Hebrews 10:25
I love family gatherings! A few months ago, my dad and I traveled to California to join our extended family in celebrating the life of mother’s sister, Ruth, who went to be with Jesus at the age of 93. It was the first time in many years that I was able to spend quality time with so many of the family who helped shape my childhood and cheered me on during my formative years. Family gatherings can be and should be a time of reunion, rejoicing, and renewal. I left the gathering thankful that I went and grateful for my family.
Every April, the Oregon Ministry Network has the opportunity to have a premier Family Gathering, called The Summit. This annual tradition allows us to join together as a Network family from various regions of the state to celebrate our heritage, our hopes, as well as being inspired and instructed. This gathering gives us the opportunity to connect with others, be encouraged and inspired by fine preaching, times of intense prayer and uplifting worship. I can tell you from experience, it is worth the investment of time and resources to be a part of this annual gathering.
This year’s Network Summit is scheduled for April 24-26, 2017, at the beautiful campus of Peoples Church in Salem. An extraordinary schedule has been planned, with amazing speakers and worship. I promise you, you’ll not be disappointed. This year we will also commission our largest credential class in decades.
I’ll look forward to seeing you at the family gathering. Be sure to go to the event page and secure your place.
Let no debt remain outstanding,
except the continuing debt to love one another,
for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.
The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder,"
"Do not steal," "Do not covet,"
and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule:
"Love your neighbor as yourself."
Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Observation
• You are permanently in debt to Christ for his unending and unfailing love.
• Look for opportunities to demonstrate love to your neighbor.
• Considering the needs of others help you maintain a proper view of yourself.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your unfailing and unconditional love for me.
Help me today to demonstrate and display your love to others.
Help me to be a gainer and not a drainer.
Help me to have a pure motive in all my relationships.
I want my life to be an example of genuine love.
I will choose to reflect your love and care to my family, friends and those I meet.
In Jesus Name, Amen!
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Observation
• True worship comes from a fully surrendered life.
• The fool tries to eliminate God from life, but the wise includes God in all of life.
• Knowing God's plan for your life is a result of knowing God.
Prayer
All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give.
Lord, I pray that you will help me know and live out your will.
I will make every effort to be alert to your work in and through me today.
I will look forward in faith to the fantastic things you are going to do in my life.
May your wonderful and awesome will for me be done!
Amen! Amen! Amen!
Wisdom and Knowledge of God
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!
Romans 11:33
Observation
• Your God is great and good.
• There will always be more to discover about God.
• God is the foundation and the destination for all believers.
Prayer
Gracious and Great God, I praise you.
You are awesome and mighty.
I pray that you will continue to reveal yourself to me in new ways.
Help me to go deeper in my walk with you.
In Jesus name, Amen!
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.
Observation
• Your confession will lead to your transformation.
• What you believe will determine your behavior.
• Keep trusting even when you are uncertain.
Prayer
Lord, I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord!
Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole.
I trust You with everything in my life.
Help me to loosen my grip on matters of insignificance.
I look forward to what you will do in the days ahead.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. Psalm 68:3
Our Network theme for 2017 is SHINE! One of the best ways we as ministers and leaders can SHINE BRIGHTLY, is by having a JOY-FILLED attitude and spirit. In talking with people and observing great ministry leaders, I have found JOY is a key ingredient in effective and impacting ministry. It is an amazing counter to the dark, drab and depressing spirit that is so common in our communities today.
Recently my friend and ministry coach, Greg Salciccioli, from Coachwell, shared 4 Keys to a Joy-Filled Life. Here is a summary of his thoughts, plus some added scripture references that I think we can all grow from.
Four Keys to a Joy-filled Life
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Let Laughter Chase Away Tension Proverbs 15:13 (ESV) A glad heart makes a cheerful face… A good belly laugh does wonders to release the tension that builds up in our life. As Kathryn Hepburn once said, “I love people who make me laugh. I honestly think it’s the thing I like most, to laugh. It cures a multitude of ills. It’s probably the most important thing in a person.” Let’s learn to laugh more at life.
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Learn to Forgive Daily, Especially Yourself Colossians 3:13 …bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Martin Luther King Jr. said: “Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude.” This means forgiveness is always a choice. When we talk about forgiveness, it isn’t always toward other people. Sometimes it’s for ourselves first. Walking in forgiveness can change us from the inside out. Without it, we harbor a heavy burden of resentment that none of us can bear.
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Stay Connected and Learn the Warning Signs of Isolation 1 Thessalonians 5:11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up… Isolation is one of the primary threats to leading a joy-filled, healthy life. Without the encouragement from the key people in our life, we are left vulnerable to discouragement. If you find yourself consistently dwelling on negative thoughts, you need the perspective of someone else to help you regain your sense of identity. As George Eliot says: “Friendship is the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words.”
- Make Fasting from Technology a Regular Habit to Create Times of Solitude 1 Peter 3:4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.
Back away from the computer screen. Breathe. Read and reflect. Take time to pray or journal. Give your mind a rest from overstimulation and learn how to relax. We all need solitude. Solitude gives us time to explore who we are and how we feel. Solitude gives us a chance to regain perspective. It renews us for the challenges of life.
Greg proposes that by practicing these four actions on a regular basis, we will feel more energized. My prayer for you as a pastor, minister or leader, is that you will live a joy-filled life. Keep shining brightly!
As it is written:
"See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame."
Observation
• Certainty and confidence in your life begins with Jesus Christ.
• The wise person builds his life on the firm foundation of faith.
• Shame is exchanged for security when you put your faith in Christ.
Prayer
Gracious Father, I praise your name for giving me hope and help.
I thank you for the gift of choice.
You allow me to choose the kind of life I will have by the choices I make.
Help me to stay on track and make wise decisions.
I choose you Lord, Amen!
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death?
Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law,
but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
Observation
• Honest personal assessment will prepare and provide you for God's deliverance.
• Every day there is something to be thankful for.
• Full surrender to the Lord positions you for a meaningful and victorious life.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your deliverance and destiny in my life.
Thank you for the power to make wise and good decisions.
Help me to think correctly and make proper choices today.
Help my life to produce results that honors you.
I refuse to be a victim and choose to be a victor.
I love you Lord!
Amen!
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God,
the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Observation
• Becoming a slave to God really sets you free.
• Sin will always lead you down the road of death.
• God has given you abundant and eternal life, so live it to the fullest.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of eternal life.
Thank you for giving me a life of destiny and blessing.
I choose to trust and rely upon you.
I believe my best days are ahead.
In Jesus Name, Amen!
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:1-2
Observation
• Peace with God always produces the Peace of God
• You were created to have fellowship with God
• God has shaped you for a specific purpose that will ultimately be realized.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank you for your peace that passes my understanding. Today, I choose to live in the serenity and security of your peace. I will live out your purpose and plan for my life with excitement. I praise your wonderful and mighty name! Amen! Amen! Amen!
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
Observation
• You can count on the promises of God without hesitation.
• Remember delays are not denials.
• Faith says God has the power to do what he has promised.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I thank you that you are a God of your word. I thank you for rearranging my life and bringing me into a new season. Today day I will claim your promises for a blessed future. I declare that no weapon formed against me shall prosper. I will put my full trust in you. In Jesus Name, Amen!