Dear Heavenly Father,
You care for us like a parent cares for a child. Your strength is beyond measure, yet Your tenderness is palpable. You are stern and offer judgment, yet Your mercy knows no bounds. Your breath created the universe, yet You chose to allow Your human creatures to choose their own path. Forgive us, O Lord, when we walk away from You. Forgive us when we seek to fill the empty places within us with trivial and meaningless trinkets. Help us to realize that we become complete only when we turn into Your embrace and allow Your Spirit to flow into the void or our lives. We are ready. We are open. Complete us, Loving God, and make us one with You. It is in Jesus name we pray, AMEN.
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Catherine Cullumber asked us to pray for Earnie Page from Jet. He has pancreatic cancer.
The funeral for Valeta Montgomery’s brother, Vernon Chodrick, is today.
I failed to mention the death of Treva Dougherty last week. Please pray for her family.
May we be equal to the tasks before us this week and embrace the opportunities to share the Good News.
The scripture for today is Matthew 12:22-32:
Then they brought to him a demoniac who was blind and mute; and he cured him, so that the one who had been mute could speak and see. All the crowds were amazed and said, “Can this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons, that this fellow casts out the demons.” He knew what they were thinking and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? If I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own exorcists cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you. Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property, without first tying up the strong man? Then indeed the house can be plundered. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. Therefore I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Grace and peace,
John McLemore
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