God Loves You and Me

Bible Reading:  John 21: 1-18

Key Verse: Verses 15,16,17 – “ So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.” (vs 15) “He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” (vs 16) “He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.” (vs17)

Key Words: Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these 

The question is not, “Does God love me?” for the very essence of God is love (I John 4:8). The question is, “Do I love Him?” for there is no doubt of His love for us.

God’s gift of Christ seems even more significant when you consider the vastness of our universe and our small role in it. If we were to experience a holocaust that destroyed our entire solar system, the massive inferno would be barely visible from the Andromeda galaxy. It would look like a match flaring faintly in the distance, then imploding into permanent darkness. Within this solar system which seems so large and incomprehensible to us, there lives roughly 7.6 billion people. To put that in further perspective, all of these people could stand shoulder to shoulder in an area about the size of Jacksonville, Florida (800 square miles). From the viewpoint of one galaxy among many, we are but a small spark on a flickering match. Yet, it was for this miniscule speck of humanity that Jesus Christ wrapped Himself in flesh so that we could unwrap the bounty of God’s unlimited love.

                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

✞ Let your love for God show through your life - for there is no doubt He loves you, but how much do you love Him? 

God's Grace is Amazing

Bible Reading:  Ephesians 2:1-10

Key Verse: Verse 8 –  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:”

Key Words: For by grace 

No matter what we have in life, health, possessions, positions, or salvation. When we say we have these things we always need to add these words: for by grace, not just any grace but the grace of God.

When a person works an eight-hour day and receives a fair day’s pay for his time, that is a wage. When a person competes with an opponent and receives a trophy for his performance, that is a prize. When a person receives appropriate recognition for :is long service or high achievements, that is an award. But when a person is not capable of earning a wage, can win no prize, and deserves no award –yet receives such a gift anyway – that is a good picture of God’s unmerited favor. That is what we mean when we talk about the grace of God.

                                                                            Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do: 

      ✞Always remember – for by grace.

The Ministry is About People

Bible Reading:  John 3:1-16

Key Verse: Verse 16 – "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Key Words:  For God so loved the world 

The world involves three “Ingredients”.  First, there is the materialistic world (1 John 2:15).  Secondly, there is the world system (1 John 5:4).  These surely are not the things God loves; you can see that by the way he cautions us against these three ingredients of the world.  The third ingredient is people and that is what God loves… the people.  Ministry isn’t about things; it is about people.

In the 1950s, marketing whiz Stanley Arnold was working at Young & Rubicam, where he was asked to come up with a marketing campaign for Remington Rand.  The company was among the most conservative in America.  Its chairman at the time was retired General Douglas MacArthur.  Intimidated at first by a company that was so much a part of America, Arnold also found in that phrase the first inspiration for a campaign.  After thinking about it, he went to the New York offices of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and Beane, and placed the ultimate odd-lot order.

“I want to purchase,” he told the broker, “one share of every single stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange.”  After a vice president tried to talk him out of it, the order was finally placed.  It came to more than $42,000 for one share in each of the 1098 companies listed on the Big Board at the time.  Arnold now took his diversified portfolio into a meeting of Remington Rand’s board of directors, where he argued passionately for a sweepstakes campaign with the top prize called A Share in America. The conservative old gentlemen shifted around in their seats and discussed the idea for a while. “But Mr. Arnold” said one, “we are not in the securities business.”  Said another, “We are in the shaver business.”

“I agree that you are not in the securities business,” said Arnold, “but I think you also ought to realize that you are not in the shaver business either. You are in the people business.” The company bought the idea.

If we fail to see that the ministry is people then we totally fail.

                                                                                Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

      ✞Love people, use things, for when you love things you will use people.

Sometimes "Adults" Will Be Kids

Bible Reading:  1 Kings 21:1-14

Key Verse: Verse 4 – “ And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.”

Key Words: and turned away his face, and would eat no bread 

Ahab is the king of Israel; he supposedly is grown and is by age a “full” adult.  Now here he is pouting.  While kids will be kids sometimes those who are supposed to be adults are kids as well. There are several character traits of an “immature children adult.”

·         They expect others to wait on them (serve them).

·         They would rather play than work.

·         They get their feelings hurt easily.

·         They expect most of the attention.

·         They cry and whine easily.

·         They will not feed themselves “spiritually”.

·         They expect the pastor and staff to feed them.

·         They only think of themselves.

And the list could go on.  The immature adult would rather put on a bib and be fed than an apron and work.  They make excuses and blame others rather than saying, “It’s my fault.”

There are those who are adults in age only who need to grow up and have a servant’s heart.  It’s one thing to be a kid at the age of 10, another to still be a kid at the age of 40.   Grow up!!

                                                                                                  Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

      ✞It’s time for some adults to grow up.    

Kids Will Be Kids

Bible Reading:  Matthew 18:1-6

Key Verse: Verse 2 – “And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,”

Key Words: And Jesus called a little child unto him 

Kids will be kids and that can be a good thing for a child can and often will do things that we as adults would never do.  Let me explain by giving you an illustration from Celeste Sibley who at one time was a columnist for the Atlanta Constitution newspaper who took her three children to a diner for breakfast one morning.  Eight-year-old Mary was seated at the far end of the counter and when her food was served she called down to her mother in a loud voice, “Mother, don’t people say grace in this place?”  A hush came over the entire diner and before Mrs. Sibley could figure out what to say, the counterman said, “Yes, we do. You say it.”  All the people at the counter bowed their heads.  Mary bowed her head and in a clear voice said, “God is great.  God is good, let us thank Him for our food.”

Yes, kids will be kids, but that’s not always a bad thing.  There are things we can learn from them and not being so prideful is one of those things.

                                                                          Dr. Mike Rouse 

What to do:

✞Correct the wrong in your child, but never the right.

How to Have Friends

Bible Reading:  I Samuel 20:1-23

Key Verse: Verse 4- “Then said Jonathan unto David, Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee.”

Key Words: Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee 

Jonathan befriended David and loved him as a brother.  Naturally, as a result of Jonathan’s love for him, David returned the same love toward Jonathan.  You see, the key to having a friend comes first by being one.

The old saying goes, “I went out looking for a friend.  I could find none anywhere.  I went out to be a friend, and I found them everywhere.”

Out of the furnaces of war come many true stories of sacrificial friendship.  One such story tells of two friends in World War I, who were inseparable.  They had enlisted together, trained together, were shipped overseas together and fought side-by-side in the trenches.  During an attack, one of the men was critically wounded in a field filled with barbed wire obstacles, and he was unable to crawl back to his foxhole.  The entire area was under a withering enemy crossfire, and it was suicidal to try to reach him.  Yet his friend decided to try.  Before he could get out of his own trench, the sergeant yanked him back inside and ordered him not to go.  "It’s too late.  You can’t do him any good and you’ll only get yourself killed."

A few minutes later, the officer turned his back, and instantly the man was gone after his friend.  A few minutes later, he staggered back, mortally wounded, with his friend, now dead, in his arms.  The sergeant was both angry and deeply moved.  "What a waste," he blurted out.  "He’s dead and you’re dying.  It just wasn’t worth it."

With almost his last breath, the dying man replied, "Oh, yes, it was, Sarge.  When I got to him, the only thing he said was, ’I knew you’d come, Jim!"

One of the true marks of a friend is that he is there when there is every reason for him not to be, when to be there is sacrificially costly. 

                                                                                             Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞You want friends?  It starts by first being one.

Truth Ultimately Prevails

Bible Reading:  Daniel 6:1-16 & 28

Key Verse: Verse 28 – “So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”

Key Words: So this Daniel prospered        

Daniel is an example of how truth always prevails.  He obeyed the truth of God’s Word and even though it appeared he was doomed to be consumed by the lions, truth prevailed.  It always does.

The problem we have today is we, rather than accept the truth, want to change it.  The problem with that is that after we change it, it is no longer the truth but it’s a lie.

An older gentleman had some health problems.  He went to visit his doctor and was told to change his diet.  The physician lectured the man on the importance of eating well and gave him a long list of things to eat and not eat.

The gentleman called his son to let him know about his declining health as he knew his son would be concerned.  He explained the doctor’s prognosis and his prescription for restoring good health.

A couple of weeks later, the aged man’s son called to check on him.  “OK, Dad, the doctor gave you some instructions awhile back.  How is the regimen going?” The old man replied, “I’ve changed doctors.”

Sometimes our response to the truth is not the best response. 

                                                                                         Dr. Mike Rouse

What to do:

✞Remember, it is truth that makes us free…the real truth…not the truth that we want.  John 8:32