FOCUS OF THE MONTH
There is no Greater Love than the Love of the Lord
SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. — Romans 5:8 (KJV) (ESV)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Sister Kathy Johnson– February 17 – Introduction Class
Call (605) 472-5694, access code 4558-62#; Reference 32# to listen to a review of these lessons.
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Overview:
Sunday – As the Holy Spirit matures us, let’s not judge others who are striving to become spiritually fit. Instead, we must create an atmosphere of love as we demonstrate God’s grace and encourage them any way we can.
Monday – In all things give God thanks. While He may not answer our prayers in the way we would like Him to, He knows our motives for asking. God wants to help us to learn and grow by teaching us not just to focus on ourselves, but others also. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to transform us into loving servants in the name of the Lord.
Tuesday – We must humbly learn to accept life-giving correction as well as praise. Both will sharpen us and grow us spiritually. Then, we’ll be able to shelve both criticism and praise in our hearts and move on.
Wednesday – Just as those who have encouraged us, let us do likewise and send a letter to someone in need today.
Thursday – If praise caused us to become prideful, let’s begin to honor God by laying down our pride. Rather than being self-loathing or having an over-inflated ego, we must offer ourselves as a living sacrifice and truly begin to serve others.
Friday – Don’t fear, trust God’s readiness to help us navigate through life. He holds our hand and will secure our safety through life’s experiences.
***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, February 18, 2019 – Praying and Growing – Jonah 4
Focus: God may use our prayers in unexpected ways to help us to learn and grow. Allow Him to transform us with His love and give Him thanks as we serve others with love.
Scripture(s): Romans 12:6-10; 2 Corinthians 12:6-10
Tuesday, February 19, 2019 – Shelve Them and Move On – Proverbs 15:30-33
Focus: We must humbly learn what we can from criticism and praise. In turn, let’s shelve them in our hearts, grow from them and move on.
Scripture(s): Luke 8:18; Proverbs 27:17; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5
Wednesday, February 20, 2019 – Send It in a Letter – Colossians 1:9-12
Focus: Just as others have encouraged us, let’s do likewise as we pray and send a letter to someone in need today.
Scripture(s): 1 Thessalonians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:16-17
Thursday, February 21, 2019 – Living Sacrifice – Romans 12:1-8
Focus: Let’s honor God by laying down our pride, offer ourselves as a living sacrifice and truly begin to serve others.
Scripture(s): Galatians 5:13; 1 John 3:16-18
Friday, February 22, 2019 – He Holds Our Hand – Isaiah 41:8-13
Focus: God’s readiness to help us as we navigate through life is available. Don’t fear, trust God to hold our hand and secure our safety.
Scripture(s): Psalm 18:35-36; Isaiah 43:1-5
Thoughts from Sister Clovia Thompson
Ode to the 5AM Ministry Caregivers
Not all super heroes wear capes; some are caregiving warriors that find the strength to “care-on” when others appear to “care-less”. Caregivers are super heroes for what they do for others. This is an ode to the 5AM Caregivers.
Caring for someone who is sick is a very difficult thing to do.
The Ministry wants you to know how proud we are of you
You give so freely of yourself without a word unkind
Some of the nights were very long yet you didn’t seem to mind
God sure knew what He was doing when He brought you into our lives
Your strength never seems to waver even as tears stream from your eyes
The words “thank you” just doesn’t seem enough to express our gratitude
A thought of you always makes us smile and will always light our mood
Good nature, devoted, compassionate, just barely describe your worth
You can never be replaced by anything on this earth.
”My friends, make time for God every day because He always has time for you.” — Sister Clovia