MONDAY, June 23rd, 2008

Hey everyone... we missed you in church last night. Where in the world were you all? There were four teens there last night? Did we all forget that 2.39% thing? Make time in Gods house a priority! If you cant get a ride: THEN CALL ME!! We have got to change this pattern of skipping church that is going on all across America. Sunday is the Lords Day! So, lets hang out in His house, with His people, on His Day!

A Thought From Yesterday:
Phil and Jeff: Thanks guys for talking about what you got out of Sunday School. You were the only two that posted anything about what God spoke to you about at all. I appreciate you!

John 8:37-47
37 “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, but you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you.
38 I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father.”
39 They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.
40 But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
41 You do the deeds of your father.” Then they said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father—God.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.
43 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.
46 Which of you convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why do you not believe Me?
47 He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

Ok, so there is a lot of "of God" and "of your father" here, but dont let that bog you down. There is some great stuff in this passage! The idea that is going on here is that these people claim to be the Children of Abraham. Any songs come to mind? Well, If Jessica massey were not at volley ball camp then we would be singing "Father Abraham had many sons...". The guys in this passage thought that they qualified as "the sons of Abraham" which technically they were but spiritually they were not.

You see, Christ explains to them, if you are really the children of Abraham then you would love me like Abraham did, but instead you are trying to kill me! Although we are not trying to kill Jesus in our lives, I think there are many days that our actions would put us in the same boat with these guys. These guys were not living in obedience to God, they were living in obedience to Satan! How do we know that? Verse 44 tells these men, that they are of their father the devil... they murder, they lie, they hate just like Satan.

Now let me be clear with this: If we have accepted Christ as our savior, then we are definitely a "Child of God" BUT sometimes even though we are Gods children we still go and act like "children of the devil" by living in sin.

Verse 37, 43 and 47 jumped out at me as well... Jesus said, you people do not understand what I am saying (in my word) because "My word has no place in you" and "you are not able to listen to my word" and "He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God.”

Are you in Gods word daily? God says if you are His child then you should seek to understand His Word! Stay faitfhul in Gods word, because you are GODS CHILDREN!