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Many people think about the last years of life as an opportunity to just relax. But this does not align with God's purpose for us; He wants us to serve Him all the days of our lives.
Let's look at the apostle Paul's journey and explore what it means to finish well. He spent time pouring into others until the very end of his life. Consider the letters he wrote to Timothy from a prison cell prior to being executed. In every season of life, God calls us to serve others.
And notice how, when writing about his life, the apostle chose words descriptive of a battle. He understood the human struggle against sin as well as the challenges of pain and persecution in the trials we all face - even in doing kingdom work like preaching Christ to a fiercely resistant society.
This godly servant's life was also marked by surrender. His mindset is obvious in these words: "present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship" (Romans 12:1). He was not afraid of Nero, nor was he struggling to stay alive. Paul trusted God to determine everything about his life, including where he would go, what he would do, and when he would die. Death did not scare him, because he knew he would dwell with Jesus forever.
God doesn't require our lives to be perfect in order to finish strong. We can live life fully and be ready to meet our Maker by surrendering, walking victoriously with Christ, and serving others. If Jesus called you home today, would you - like Paul - be confident that you lived well until the end?
Used with permission from In Touch Ministries, Inc.
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Current Sermon
Series
Last year, as well as earlier this year we studied In The Beginning..., how this world began. We covered the topics of God, Creation, the fall of Satan, the fall of mankind, and the promise of redemption. We briefly covered the first 3 chapters of Genesis. Join us as we continue this series, as we cover the next few chapters in Genesis. Lord willing, we will look at Cain and Abel, Generations of Adam, Noah, and other topics.
Last Week:
We looked more at what the example of the doomed does. They reject God's Word, try to hide their sin, are indicted by God, protest their judgment, fail to appreciate common grace, and they settle outside of God's presence.
Sunday's message is available for
streaming or for download on our sermons page, or by visiting us on iTunes.
Next Week:
Continuing on in our study of Genesis, In The Beginning.... We will be looking into the Origin of Society from Genesis 4.
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Upcoming Events
October 11 - Cantata Practice at the church at 5 PM
October 21 - Quarterly Business Meeting at 7:30, in lieu of our Prayer and Bible Study.
October 25 - Lord's Supper & Deacon's Fund Offering
November 20-22 - Missions Conference. We will be having the families of the Hopkins to Peru and the Greens to Taiwan.
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