INFORM:
Apr 16 (Friday) – 11:00 am Guy’s Lunch – be looking for an email from Eric Trees w/ more details
Apr 16-17 – 7-9:30 pm Friday/8-12 AM Saturday – Marriage Conference w/ Steve Farrar ($40/per person)
Apr 18 - 8:00 am – Men’s Breakfast in the FLC
Apr 20 – 10:00 am- 12:00 pm – (Churchwide) Ladies Study Group – (“Redeemed” by Beth Moore on the life of David)
INSPIRE:
Ok, so here’s an easy question…What are the top seven most important things in your life? AND… How would you PROVE they are important to you?
I believe most of us would list some things like family, children, jobs, God/church, etc. But, how can we really know these are important to us? Do you think it is possible for us to be self-deceived about what we truly value?
The answer in my life is a definite “YES” -Ever heard the phrase “ACTIONS speak louder than words”? It is so easy for us to con ourselves into THINKING something is of value, yet living in a way that screams out something different. Christ put it this way: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21) – teasure here is referring to your time, your talents, and your possessions. So what is your LIFE saying if you can spend hours at work, caring for the home, in front of the TV, working in the yard, playing sports, talking on the phone, facebook (haha, I said it!), gaming (you didn’t get away either 
), and even involved in “Christian” activities, but you can’t find the time to spend even 15 mins for a quiet moment with God reading His Word and in sincere prayer? I heard it said recently that we have a big choice in life: DISCIPLINE or REGRET (discipline here meaning self-control not punishment). So, I ask myself this question “What will I say to God when I stand before Him about the time I spent on “meaningless” things and neglected what He values?” Take a moment to think about this!
Then, READ ACTS Chapter 9. This week we’re going to look at the amazing conversion of Saul (the Christian persecutor). You don’t want to miss this!
INCLUDE:
Here are a few questions for ACTS 9 we’ll be discussing Sunday:
1. Why is the conversion of Saul so important that it is repeated three times in Acts?
2. What is unique about this conversion account?
3. What does Saul’s conversion have to do with people today?
John, you hit the nail on the head…we fill our lives up with so much other ‘stuff’ that we forget to spend time with the One who gave us that ‘stuff’.
You asked:
“What will I say to God when I stand before Him about the time I spent on “meaningless” things and neglected what He values?”
I often ask my self the same question – I don’t want to stand before Him one day and have nothing to show for my life. Another way to ask it could be:
“What have we done with the time, talents and possessions that God has given us? Did we use them to further His kingdom or ours?”
Good stuff to think about.