Relationship

If I didn't have a personal relationship with God, I would. I have the opportunity to meet with people who face difficult and downright horrible experiences. And, yet, they are able to persevere and move through circumstances with unrelenting hope and faith.

How do they do it? 

Simply put, God meets an individual in their place of need. 

How is it possible to meet God, who is beyond what humanity can fully comprehend?

Humanity often defines God through limited comprehension and abilities. The thing is . . . we think in terms of time and space, which God transcends. So, we struggle understanding that God comes into our defined time and space, allowing us to participate and interact in a personal relationship with the all-powerful Creator of the universe.

And . . . God gives us one another to experience life together.  The Apostle Paul gave thanks for the Philippian church . . . the Church . . . the ecclesia . . .  the called out . . . those who share the purpose of God together:

[ Thanksgiving and Prayer ] I thank my God every time I remember you.

Philippians 1:3      

Give thanks.

Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . with gratefulness for one another,

Pastor Kerrie

 For a deeper study go to: interAct: Bible Study

(written by Kerrie Palmer © 2009 All Rights Reserved)

kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnville, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com~ InterAct: Bible Study~Kick

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Gifts

God is the God of more.  God always has something more for us.  We are not created to just make it through . . . but to receive the gifts of God.  The Apostle Paul often referred to hope that the people would receive the grace and peace of God. 

 Regardless of circumstances, living in the realm of grace and peace changes how we live.

Seriously, we live in an era that defines our state of being by what kind of circumstances we have. While awareness of what others are going through is a vital component to a Christ-follower caring for others, we need to balance life with the freedom to enjoy it and take time to experience grace and peace.

Philippians 1:2
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:7
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 16:20
The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.

1 Corinthians 1:3
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 1:2
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Galatians 1:3
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

Ephesians 1:2
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Colossians 1:2
To God's holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.

1 Thessalonians 1:1
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.

2 Thessalonians 1:2
Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 1:2
To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

Titus 1:4
To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.

Philemon 1:3
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:2
who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

2 John 1:3
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father's Son, will be with us in truth and love.

Revelation 1:4
[ Greetings and Doxology ] John, To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,
 

Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . experiencing the gifts of grace and peace,

Pastor Kerrie

 For a deeper study go to: interAct: Bible Study

(written by Kerrie Palmer © 2009 All Rights Reserved)

kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnville, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com~ InterAct: Bible Study~Kick

 Start Your Day

Archives & Daily Subscription: go to http://kickstarttoday.blogspot.com/

You Know The Feeling

You know the feeling . . .

that something is wrong . . .

that something is out of order . . .

that something is going to happen . . .

The Early Church must have felt it.  After all, the Apostle Paul was in prison.  People were not sure how to be church. It must have felt like everything was upside-down . . . unsettling to say the least.

Paul addressed the Church speaking of peace:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:2)

Later in the letter, he would write:

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

One must first receive peace to live in active peace.

Active peace brings down barriers and walls that separate humanity from God and one another. In other words, if we have not opened our heart up to peace we will be unable to give it.

Active peace reduces anxiety and stress.

The thing is . . . the active peace of Christ messes with our human response. Our “rights” are exchanged for forgiveness and love through active peace. Thoughts, feelings, and actions are transformed as you and I invite the work of peace to rule in our mind, heart, and soul.

Active peace activates our change which activates our ability to make a difference in the world.

When that feeling comes . . . choose to:
Change your corner of the world.
Receive the active peace of Christ.
Allow the active peace of Christ to “mess” with your thoughts, feelings, and actions.
Give peace.

Worship: Michael W. Smith - A New Hallelujah

Pray:  God . . . lead me into Your active peace.

Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . in active peace,

Pastor Kerrie

 For a deeper study go to: interAct: Bible Study

(written by Kerrie Palmer © 2009 All Rights Reserved)

kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnville, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com~ InterAct: Bible Study~Kick

 Start Your Day

Archives & Daily Subscription: go to http://kickstarttoday.blogspot.com/

Life Is Not Always Fair

I wonder how many times my kids heard me say: “Life is not always fair.”  I do know that it was said enough that now as adults, my kids understand the concept that we do not measure life by fairness.  The thing is . . . we tend to think that bad things should only happen to bad people.  And . . . quite frankly . . . it is difficult to understand why bad things happen to good people. 

But what I do know is that whether we are facing fair or unfair circumstances . . . we can receive grace and peace to move through the circumstances.  The Apostle Paul said it often in his writings, Philippians is no exception:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:2)

Today we will look at the word, grace, and tomorrow we will focus on peace.

What is grace?

Essentially grace is undeserved and unmerited . . . a powerful gift . . . of provision and privilege from Christ.  I think that one of the most off-the-charts-miraculous statements we can read about grace is found in 2 Corinthians 12:9 in which Paul states:
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 

When this scripture is unpacked . . . the word “is” can be seen as the crucial point . . . in the New Testament Greek translation the one word allows us to see that the grace of God is present and ongoing.  Talk about rock-your-world kind of promise . . . regardless of what is happening in our life . . . the grace of God is sufficient.

What does the sufficiency of grace mean to daily living?

Life is often not fair.  It is just a fact of life.  We have a choice to make . . . will we focus on the unfairness of the issue or on the sufficiency of God?  The choice sets the course; however, we often believe it is our circumstances that direct the way we will go. 

Worship: Rush Of Fools "Escape"

Pray:  Spirit of God . . . fill me with Your sufficient grace . . . in all times.

Refocus.

Acknowledge the presence and power of God.

Set your mind on God.

Respond to the circumstance through the power of the grace of God.

Choose grace.

Learning with you to KICK START the day . . . in the ongoing sufficiency of the grace of God,

Pastor Kerrie

 For a deeper study go to: interAct: Bible Study

(written by Kerrie Palmer © 2009 All Rights Reserved)

kpalmer@hillchurch.com ~Church on the Hill~700 N. Hill Rd.~McMinnville, OR 97128~503.472.8476 ~www.hillchurch.com~ InterAct: Bible Study~Kick Start Your Day

Archives & Daily Subscription: go to http://kickstarttoday.blogspot.com/