Bill’s Bestowals:
“God is …”
“For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”
(Deuteronomy 4:24)
“For the Lord your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you …”
(Deuteronomy 4:31)
Question: what words come to mind when you think of God? I ask because the Bible is so full of nouns and adjectives that describe Him, and they may even seem to be contradictory.
Consider the two examples above. What do you think? Is God a “consuming fire?” Or is God a “merciful God?” Well, the since the Bible says both, it sounds like we need to do some investigating to understand it!
Somebody once asked a reformed theologian by the name of R.C. Sproul, “What’s the greatest spiritual need in the world today?” His response was, “The greatest need in people’s lives is to understand the true identity of God.” He said this knowing that a lot of people reject faith without ever really understanding God’s true nature.
Then there was a follow-up question: “What’s the greatest spiritual need in the lives of church people (believers, that is)?” Sproul said, / “To understand the true identity of God.” He said this because he knew that if believers really understood the character / heart of God, their lives would be utterly and recognizably changed!
Do you know God’s true, full identity? If you answer that with a “Yes,” I’ll be the first to call you a liar! We will never know fully on this side of eternity (even Paul acknowledged that; see I Corinthians 13:12), but we have to recognize that God wants to be known: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13).
I’ll be using the Sundays of the Christian Season we have just entered – the season of Lent – as an opportunity to “seek” out at least a few aspects of “the true identity of God.” Come, so we can “find” Him together!
Shalom! Pastor Bill
March 2023 Calendar:
Sunday: Fellowship Hour at 9:30 a.m.
Sunday School at 9:45 a.m.
Worship at 11 a.m.
Thursday: Grief Share at 10 a.m. in Fellowship Hall.
March 4: Presbyterian Women’s Meeting, 10 a.m. in Fellowship Hall
March 7: Mission Committee Meeting, 5 p.m.
March 7: Christian Education Meeting, 10:30 a.m.
March 8: Worship Committee Meeting, 1 p.m.
March 9: Fellowship Committee Meeting, 8:30 a.m.
March 13: Stewardship & Finance Committee Meeting, 1 p.m.
March 14: Building & Grounds Committee Meeting, 10 a.m.
March 14: Membership & Evangelism Committee Meeting, 6 p.m.
March 15: Session Meeting 5:30 p.m.
March 19: Fellowship Potluck Meal following Worship
BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES:
1 – Kathy Taranto 16 – Aubrey Stanbro
5 – Judy Thompson 18 – Susan Seitz
14 – Tony Mosier 20 – Louella Dardar
16 – Caleb Seitz 29 – Gini Burt
SERVING THIS MONTH:
Ushers: David Spurgin & Paula Dearing
Communion Preparers: Delta Reed
Communion Servers: Leon Myers, Wes Stiefer, Judy Thompson
Gini Burt & Annette Hays
SPECIAL COLLECTION SUNDAYS:
March 5: Personal Care Collection
March 26: Goodland Academy
