Commending, Comforting, Correcting
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. - Psalm 1:1-2
-THIS SUNDAY'S TEXT- Commending, Comforting, & Correcting
While Paul’s second letter is a bit shorter than his first letter to the church of Thessalonica, they are very similar in their focus. The greetings are almost identical; they both begin with prayers of thanksgiving to God for what He is doing in the church. There are also a number of wonderful prayers throughout both letters. In the second letter (while it was not originally written with chapters), each chapter ends with a prayer.
In preparation for this Sunday, Read 2 Thess. 1:1-12. We will be focusing on the first 4 verses.
Why does Paul thank God?
What does he see in the lives of the people of the church of Thessalonica?
God was doing a wonderful work in the church of Thessalonica. He was abundantly growing their faith, and He was increasing their love for one another. God was doing this in their lives while enduring them through persecutions and afflictions.
This Sunday we will look at how our faith grows abundantly and how we can express the love of Christ to one another in the days ahead.
-CONSIDER & MEDITATE- The following will be helpful to read and ponder prior to our time together:
Romans 12:9-12 1 Corinthians 13 Romans 13 & 14
-PRAYER & THANKSGIVING-
Take time to read through each of the following prayers today, then pray the prayer specifically for The River Family:
2 Thess. 1:11-12 2 Thess. 2:16-17 2 Thess. 3:5 2 Thess. 3:16
Give thanks to the Lord for His wonderful work!
From the Jaegers:
“Lamentations 3: 20 I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. 21 Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: 22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. 23 They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” 25 The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; 26 it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
Great Morning everyone! Just all praise and update! God is so good! Giving Him all the Glory! Mike was discharged from MDA yesterday afternoon. He will continue to have MDA visits daily for labs, IV fluids, blood, and/or platelets if needed. They will be watching him closely for GVHD. He is doing remarkable well. The SCT Team were very encouraged by how his body is recovering! We know it is by God's great mercy, grace & power and His healing hand on Mike. All the faithful prayers all of you and continually praying for him just gives us the strength to face whatever is put before us that day! We are so grateful and blessed to have you all as our family! We have felt God's presence with every aspect of this journey! Praise to the One whom all Blessings flow! We checked in to a wonderful new apartment Halo House. It's a beautiful new facility for Lymphoma, Leukemia and Myeloma patients.
He starts the new step to this journey this morning. I just dropped him off at MDA and he will be there for a few hours. We just can't thank you enough for all the wonderful encouragement & support you all are to us! We love you all ❤️”
Opportunity to Serve
We need 11 people to volunteer to pray Monday - Saturday this coming week from 6:30am-7:15am at the hospital. Here is how it works:
Pull in to one of the 11 marked parking spaces at the hospital (they are side by side) at 6:30am. (This is during shift change).
Put your flashers on your car.
Put your mask on.
Stand in front of your car.
When hospital workers walk by, ask them if you can pray for them. (remember 6ft. for social distancing)
At 7:15am, jump in your car and head home.
If you would like to serve in this capacity next week, please send me a text ASAP at 870-421-4341.
Grace and Peace,
Eric
Happy Mother's Day
This Sunday is Mother's Day. Enjoy your mom and let her know how much you love her.
Pray
Pray for wisdom for The River leaders. While they have been seeking the Lord, they will gather this Wednesday to discuss the details of The River Family gathering for worship. We desire to follow the Lord as we move forward.