FOCUS OF THE MONTH
New Beginnings
SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK
For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not
be remembered, nor come into mind. — Isaiah 65:17 (KJV) (NLT)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Sister Latisha Wood Brook – January 18– Class 04
Call (641) 715-3378, access code 2597-48#; Reference 191# to listen to a review of these lessons.
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Overview: Jesus demonstrated His love towards us and cares for us. It’s this love that binds us together. Therefore, we too, must show our love by pursuing unity in the spirit of kindness in a diverse world. As difficult as people may be sometimes, we must never underestimate the power of prayer.If we, or those we love are facing challenges, we must pray, repent and trust God’s faithfulness to answer, change hearts and bring us together in the bond of love and perfect unity.
Each day’s assignment could vary but we must grow in gratitude whether our blessings are extravagant or mundane. Remember, it is God who gives gifts as He severally will out of His love for us and for His good pleasure.
There are times when we pray but we have to deal with delays. It’s imperative that we ask God for patience, peace and a new perspective on His purpose for our lives. Then, we must wait for the outcome, regardless of how big or discouraging the mountains are in our lives. We can all attest that God is greater than any mountain that we face.
In conclusion, we must continue to clothe ourselves with love and pursue unity as we rely on the Holy Spirit to help us overcome every obstacle that will try to hinder us from building the Kingdom.
***The Scriptures for this week’s lessons are taken from the NEW LIVING TRANSLATION. The goal of any Bible translation is to convey the meaning of the ancient Hebrew and Greek texts as accurately as possible to the modern reader. The New Living Translation is based on the most recent scholarship in the theory of translation. The challenge for the translators was to create a text that would make the same impact in the life of modern readers that the original text had for the original readers. In the New Living Translation, this is accomplished by translating entire thoughts (rather than just words) into natural, everyday English. The end result is a translation that is easy to read and understand and that accurately communicates the meaning of the original text. To learn more, visit New Living Translation.***
Monday, January 15, 2018 – Pursuing Unity – Colossians 3:9-17
Focus: Love binds people together. Christians must show our love for Christ by pursing unity with kindness in a diverse world.
Scriptures: Galatians 3:23-29; Ephesians 4:1-7, 12-16
Tuesday, January 16, 2018 – The Power of Prayer – 1 Samuel 7:7-14
Focus: We must never underestimate the power of prayer. If we or those we love are facing challenges, we must pray, repent and trust God’s faithfulness to rescue us.
Scriptures: James 5:13-20; 2 Chronicles 20:1-4, 20-24
Wednesday, January 17, 2018 – Growing Gratitude – Romans 11:33-36
Focus: Whether our everyday blessings are extravagant or mundane, we must thank God for giving us these gifts out of His love for us to do His will.
Scriptures: Psalm 27:13-14; 1 Chronicles 29:13-19
Thursday, January 18, 2018 – Dealing with Delay – Genesis 45:1-8
Focus: As we deal with delays, let’s by faith, trust God to give us patience, peace and a new perspective on His purpose for our lives as we wait for the outcome.
Scriptures: Job 14:14
Friday, January 19, 2018 – By the Spirit’s Power – Zechariah 4:1-7
Focus: It doesn’t matter how big or discouraging the mountains are in our lives, God is greater! We must always rely on the Holy Spirit to help us to overcome as we build the Kingdom.
Scriptures: Joshua 14:6-13
Thoughts from Sister Clovia Thompson – Power Up for 2018!
We can and should take up Zechariah 4:6 as our motto for 2018 – “Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit…” – to remind ourselves of God’s way of advancing His kingdom. It is never by human power or human brute strength that God’s cause makes progress in the world. It is never our power, skill or intellect that sinners are saved and believers are sustained.
It is always and only by His Spirit. If there is one desperate and urgent need for the Church of Jesus Christ in these days, it is surely a fresh outpouring of the Spirit of God upon His people.
We cannot do God’s work without Him. God has chosen not to do His work without us. Therefore, we need to get together and POWER UP!. It is not by might, it is not by power, but by His Spirit.
O Lord, pour out your Spirit on the study and preaching of your word and the faithful witness of your people. Open the heavens and pour down a fresh infusion of the Spirit of holiness and grace. POWER UP! POWER UP! POWER UP! — Power Up for 2018!