The High Calling of God

  "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come. Again, he sent out other servants, saying, 'Tell those who are invited, "See, I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and fatted cattle are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding." ' But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business . ...For many are called, but few are chosen."  Matthew 22:2-24 RSVP means to respond to an invitation- please reply. We have all been there. It comes in the mail- an invitation to a special event: a wedding, shower, anniversary, graduation, etc. How many times, when we aren't sure whether we want to attend, we just shove it off into a corner of a drawer. We want to think about it for awhile. Other times, we know we really want to attend, and we fill it out and send it back immediat...

""Sing, O barren, You who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, You who have not labored with child! For more are the children of the desolate Than the children of the married woman," says the Lord.Enlarge the place of your tent, And let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; Do not spare; Lengthen your cords, And strengthen your stakes . Isaiah 54:1,2  As I was reading these verses this morning, the Lord opened up several thoughts to me.In our personal lives, sometimes we go through barren seasons. Things aren't happening- same old- same old. If we dwell on it we get discouraged and our faith is weakened. But in verse 1 of Isaiah 54 the prophet told Israel to sing! How absurd! To sing when nothing is happening? To worship when we don't see God moving the way we think that He should? When our prayers go unanswered? To praise and exalt God when all seems lost; there is no new fruit in our lives, no new visions or dreams?  But the ...

  "You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."    Psalm 16:11 I have been using this cup almost everyday for the past 3 years. It was given to me on Christmas 2021.Who can resist a large coffee mug?   We are two weeks away from Christmas and one week into a new year. As is my habit, all my Christmas decorations are packed away for another year. I leave out some "wintry" things until spring- whenever that comes! I always like to clean out the house before the new year begins. But I keep this cup out all year long.  I love the saying: "The Beauty of Christmas is not in presents but in His Presence." It reminds me of what is really important in life. Many gifts that we have received at Christmas are either broken, don't fit or of no use. Gifts of that sort don't last very long. But the gift that God gave us will last eternally- His Presence. His Presence in our lives. Sounds r...

Rebuilding the Altars- 11/24/2024                                   Message begins at 12:09.