Good evening brethren and happy Sabbath!  Just a reminder that tomorrow we will have 10:30 AM services in Columbia, and 3:00 PM services in Charlotte.  There will be no in person services in Hickory, but the brethren there are invited to come to Charlotte in the afternoon to join us for the Men's Chili Cook-Off or watch the webcast from Columbia in the morning.

Weak sauce

With three in our house making chili to enter in tomorrow's cook-off, there's been a fair bit of, um....discussion...on whose chili will win.  Some labeling others chili as 'weak sauce' or holding their previous championships over their family members heads.  

It's all in good fun of course, but I do look forward to the competition.  May the best chili win! (and here's to hoping mine is the best!)

The Lord works in mysterious ways

Although that phrase is not contained in the Bible, I've found it to often be quite true.  Consider David toppling Goliath, Daniel in the lion's den or even Christ being raised from the dead.  All 'mysterious' occurences (by human logic), where God showed His mighty power, through a seemingly weaker human vessel.

This of course got me to thinking:  Do we ever look at ourselves, and think we are worthless and unusable by God, just because we're weak?  Maybe not just in physical terms, but even spiritually at times.  If we fall short of the glory of God, does that mean He can't use us?

Where your value comes from

It's easy to get down on yourself, especially when we sin.  It's absolutely necessary we repent of sin and constantly be working to overcome, but God does not want us to stay 'down.' He sees us differently than we see ourselves.

1 Peter 2:9-0 (NKJV) reminds us, "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy."

Also consider what Jesus told His disciples in John 15:15-16, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you."  

By extension, these very words apply to us as well.  God has chosen and appointed us that we might bear fruit.  And though we may be weak, human vessels, we can be very encouraged that God sees us with mercy, and as His very own people.  People that He is using to do His work today!

Bible Trivia

Our trivia question last week was: Whose blood was washed out of the floorboard of a chariot so that dogs could lick it up, thus fulfilling prophecy?  The answer is King Ahab of Israel, and the story can be found in 1 Kings 22.

This week's trivia question is: After four lepers discovered that the Syrians had fled in the night, thus ending a siege and starvation of Samaria, why was the King of Israel's officer killed?