Sunday, January 06, 2008

Today's Service

This mornings service was from Matthew 6: 25-34 and it really made an impact on me so I thought I would share some of the points given...

1. Life is more than food. Life is more than clothing. (v.25)
2. You are more valuable than the birds. (v. 26)
3. Anxiety accomplishes nothing. (v. 27)
4. Anxiety is worldly. (v. 31)
5. Your heavenly father knows what you need. (v. 32)
6. God will supply all that you need. (v. 33)
7. God does not overload any day with trouble. (v. 34)

I wish I could capture the passion this sermon was given with... it was very moving.

As was a friends testimony at the end of the service. Sylvia got up in front of the congregation to share her story. It starts with a diagnosis of stage 4 Hodgkin's disease 3 weeks after her college graduation. She tells of her struggles and all the people in her corner to help her through it. Then she tells how she beat the cancer and how wonderful that was. Then last Christmas she lost her father, mother and younger brother in one horrific car accident. She spoke how it felt to have half her family taken away in one instant. She also spoke about how she dreaded each milestone she crossed without her family... and how once she got to that day, it wasn't great but it wasn't worth the worry and the anxiety she gave it. She spoke about approaching Christmas day and how she was not going to worry. When the day came it was worse than she imagined. She laid crying Why God? After some tears she sat up and prayed and Christ comforted her. It was still a hard day but she made it through... Christ did not give her more than she could bear. She really did an amazing job and I cried for her at the end... tears of pride, not pity. Christ doesn't promise us an easy life if we follow Him. What He does promise is comfort and love.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, that's an amazing story of someone showing the rest of us how to walk through difficult stuff. I would have cried, too! Thanks for sharing.

kathi said...

And joy...He promises us joy. My heart ached for your friends testimony. My, I don't want to imagine what she's gone through. I am, though, so thankful that she's touching and encouraging others rather than turning her back and living in rebellion as others who do not know our Father might do. I'm thankful for her.