SIMPLY JESUS - DAY 1

 

 

"SIMPLY JESUS" - DAY 1

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

THE OBJECT OF OUR FAITH

 

³ We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴ Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints.  COLOSSIANS 1:3,4

 

In a world that is so troubled, so confused, and so complex, what should we be doing? 

 

I talk to people that are so desperate that they are turning to the bottle—some self-medicate with drugs and alcohol others find a doctor who will prescribe their cure.

 

Some are just looking for any kind of thrill—whether it’s right or wrong—anything that might take their mind off their desperate circumstances.

 

Many escape by immersing themselves in screen time.  Some are mesmerized by the latest Hollywood fantasies—others are enchanted by vintage film.  Video games, entertainment, porn--the pretend world is far more alluring than the real!

With the coming of smart-phones we are able to keep in touch with one another by voice, by text, by snap-chat, by twitter, by face-book, and who knows how many other ways. 

Not only can we keep in touch, we HAVE to keep in touch!  We can’t even take time out to drive our cars.  Never before have had more ways to say what’s on our mind—and had so little on our mind to say. 

Some are captivated by the internet.  Ever notice how we all look around for sites that confirm our fears and endorse our views?   The power of the internet to make the incredible credible is really astounding.  And how in the world is a person supposed to know what or who to believe?

We crave the stability and security of loving relationships—but it seems relationships today are so surface and insecure.

 

Politics is so divisive and religions are so divergent, we have been driven to despair.

 

I’m sure we could add to this list—things, ideas, people—that are making our lives more troubled, confused, and complex.

 

As I prayed about all this it occurred to me that the problem is deeper than just what we are doing, rather the issue is what we believe… and more specifically who we believe.

 

Over the next month I hope you’ll join us as we turn our hearts to “SIMPLY JESUS!”  It’s our prayer that during these days we can all

Refocus our faith,

Renew our love, and

Re-center our lives on SIMPLY JESUS.

 

The  Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians will be our starting point.  We will have Sunday Messages, daily blogs, a study guide, and small group activities centered on SIMPLY JESUS.

 

If you have a friend or a loved one who you think might find SIMPLY JESUS to be a spiritual help, I hope you’ll share these materials and webpages with them.

And let me ask you this.  If you were to introduce Jesus for the first time to a friend, what are the things you would tell them?  Remember, the focus is SIMPLY JESUS.  What would say about JESUS?

 

LORD WE PRAY THAT AS WE LOOK TO JESUS, YOU WILL STRIP AWAY ALL OF OUR PRECONCEPTIONS AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS AND HELP US TO FOCUS ON SIMPLY JESUS.