FOCUS OF THE MONTH
The high cost of unforgiveness vs. the high reward of forgiveness
SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK
And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God
for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. – Ephesians 4:32 (KJV) (ESV)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Sister Clovia Thompson – May 27 –Class #07/08
Sister Lillian Divers – May 28 – Class #07/08
Sister Tamara Henry– May 29 – Class #04
Call (641) 715-3378, access code 2597-48#; Reference 22# to listen to a review of these lessons.
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Overview: Theme: Mortality –
Sunday– God made us relational beings. Therefore, as we have opportunities to represent the person of God, we must do it with sincere love to everyone, especially those in the community of faith.
Monday – On this Memorial Day, let’s hold on to the precious memories of those who preceded us in death. Honor God for their works as they served others until the last call.
Tuesday – We don’t know when God will call us home. if we become fearful and restless with life’s uncertainties, we must begin to focus on the horizon of God’s current and future promises and find peace.
Wednesday – In our weaknesses, we must rely on the Holy Spirit to help us. When we pray and words fail us, He will intercede on our behalf.
Thursday – Think about Jesus’ interrupted fellowship with the Father, as He hung on the cross to bear our sins. In His humanity, He asked, “why hast thou forsaken Me?” We can confident that Jesus redeeming blood forgave us and restored us to the Father.
Friday –In closing, though God made us relational beings and we try to represent God in our skins by doing good works before He calls us home to glory, we must stop our busyness. We must take time to meditate and appreciate all that God has done and give Him glory! Selah!
Saturday–
***The English Standard Version (ESV) stands in the classic mainstream of English Bible translations over the past half-millennium. The fountainhead of that stream was William Tyndale’s New Testament of 1526; marking its course were the King James Version of 1611 (KJV), the English Revised Version of 1885 (RV), the American Standard Version of 1901 (ASV), and the Revised Standard Version of 1952 and 1971 (RSV). In that stream, faithfulness to the text and vigorous pursuit of accuracy were combined with simplicity, beauty, and dignity of expression. Our goal has been to carry forward this legacy for a new century.
To this end each word and phrase in the ESV has been carefully weighed against the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, to ensure the fullest accuracy and clarity and to avoid under-translating or overlooking any nuance of the original text. The words and phrases themselves grow out of the Tyndale-King James legacy, and most recently out of the RSV, with the 1971 RSV text providing the starting point for our work. Archaic language has been brought to current usage and significant corrections have been made in the translation of key texts. But throughout, our goal has been to retain the depth of meaning and enduring language that have made their indelible mark on the English-speaking world and have defined the life and doctrine of the church over the last four centuries.
The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. It seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original. More about the ESV translation philosophy….***
Monday, May 28, 2018 – The Last Call – 2 Samuel 1:17-27
Focus: On this Memorial Day, let’s thank and honor God for those who are asleep in Jesus and did serve others until the last call.
Scriptures: Deuteronomy 34:5-8; Acts 9:36-39
Tuesday, May 29, 2018 – Gazing at the Horizon – Hebrews 11:8-16
Focus: If we become fearful and restless with life’s uncertainties, focus on the horizon of God’s current and future promises for His people.
Scriptures: John 14:1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Wednesday, May 30, 2018 – When Words Fail – Romans 8:22-27
Focus: Praise God for the Holy Spirit who helps us in our weaknesses. While praying and words fail us, He will intercede on our behalf.
Scriptures: Ephesians 6:18; Psalm 38:6-11, 15
Thursday, May 31, 2018 – Interrupted Fellowship – Matthew 27:32-50
Focus: Jesus’ interrupted fellowship with the Father was necessary to save man from our sins. His redeeming blood forgave us and restored us to the Father.
Scriptures: Isaiah 53:3-5; Isaiah 44:21-23
Friday, June 1, 2018 – Stop – Psalm 46
Focus: If we find ourselves too busy with everyday tasks to meditate and appreciate all that God has done, stop, be still and know Him. Selah!
Scriptures: Mark 6:31; Deuteronomy 4:32-39
Thoughts from Sister Clovia Thompson
The Power of Love
As millions of people watched the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle, there were several striking elements that stood out:
- The mother of the bride wore braids and a nose ring.
- The bride’s dress was elegant, timeless and plain.
- A feminist African-American divorced woman is now a princess.
- A gospel choir sung Stand By Me in The Windsor Chapel
But one of the most striking elements of the Royal Wedding was also among the most unexpected. Bishop Michael Curry gave a captivating, passionate and fiery sermon on the Power of Love.
He told the people who attended the wedding and the millions who watched we must discover the power of love. Love is the way we lay down our swords and shields by the river side study war no more. When love is the way, we know that God is the Source of us all and we are brothers and sisters, children of God.
In Bishop Curry’s thirteen minute sermon, he shared the good news of Jesus Christ and told the bride and groom that love will bind them together, has its source and origin in God and is the key to life and happiness.