The Church of Eleven22

We BRING to God our FIRST and BEST because God FIRST loved us by giving HIS BEST. "And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister." Colossians 1: 21-23

May God's blessings in our lives be vehicles for Praising God not obstacles to it. Action Steps: How do I cultivate an attitude of Gratitude? 1. Count your blessings: literally. Homework: write out 1 blessing for every year of your life. 2. Talk about your blessings vs. complaining. 1 week challenge 3. Preach the Gospel to yourself. (Deut 6:20ff) Final Thought: Deuteronomy 6- 20 “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh's slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes.23 And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. 24 And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. 25 And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

As we understand the depths of our own depravity in light of the height of God’s love and mercy toward us it SHOULD stir a deep sense of worship. “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” Galatians 4:6-7

The Almighty, Ever-Present, All-Knowing, Never-Changing God of the Universe wants YOU to Discover and Deepen a Relationship with Him through Jesus. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20 God is Infinitely Powerful and Intensely Personal – Matt Chandler

PRAY, PRAY, PRAY!!! Prayer is not about information. It is about intimacy with the Father. Prayer is the means by which our Sovereign God accomplishes “on Earth as it is in Heaven”.