 Children's Talk: We use many cleaning products to keep our houses and ourselves clean. However we need something far more powerful to give us clean hearts. Out of our hearts come all our bad and sinful emotions & actions. God's way to give us clean hearts is grace given to us in Jesus Christ. Morning Service; Psalm 62;6-11. The writer of the Psalm is experiencing turmoil in his soul and is downcast. Yet he realises; it seems as if God is far away but he has not lost control. He is still Sovereign. Remembering this and that God commands steadfast love in our live he is encouraged to praise, pray and hope confidently in the Sovereign LORD. Evening Service:Judges 17;1-6 (Religion going badly wrong)
Soon after entering the Promised Land the Israelites began forsaking the LORD. As they did that which was right in their own eyes, their religion deteriorated into religious anarchy, as they put their own spin on the LORD's decrees.
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 Greg Francis gave Thought For The Day this morning. He helpfully reminded us of that God never abandons us. We may feel abandoned by God, but we never are. Jesus' death on the cross is proof of this.
 Children's Talk: Solomon, one of Israel's kings set about finding out what would make him contented. So he left God out of things. He set about having a good time, studying hard, building, making & spending money. All these things did not give him the happiness he desires. His conclusion was we cannot live ignornig our Creator. Relationship with him alone gives us that deep down happiness that we all crave. Morning service (Psalm 23:1-5) When our souls are downcast and in turmoil, remembering God's past goodness and blessings is a helpful step to get us realising that God himself is our hope. We can confidently trust ourselves to him being certain that fulfills his promises. Evening Service, Judges 16;21-31
Samson head has been shaved, he has been blinded and is helplessly languishing as a slave in a Philistines prison but his hair begins to grow. His growing hair is a sign of the vow that God has made with him. Samson is enabled to cry out to the LORD one more time. His prayer is far from perfect but the LORD uses him, as he dies, to greatly weaken Israel's enemies. Samson the deliverer dies but delivers pointing us to Jesus Christ, who dies, to deliver us from our sin & guilt. Morning Service (Psalm 42&43 - overview) Believers sometimes go through dark experiences; they can become downcast in their souls, leading to turmoil in their souls. Ps 42&43 helpfully describe this condition and declare that God himself is our hope & answer in such circumstances. Judges 16, The LORD "leaves" Samson
Samson is wonderfully & uniquely blessed by the LORD yet persists in being foolishly disobedient to the LORD. He learns a harsh lesson - we cannot keep on despising the the LORD's blessings. He loses his phenomenal strength as the LORD leaves him. he is captured and blinded by the Philistines. The LORD's deliverer is rendered helpless but .... |
