It felt great to be back in the pulpit that God has entrusted me with, I am honored and humbled every time I am away from the church that when I get back, all is like I left it. Key still works, name still on the marquee, no called meetings and members who missed their Pastor.
I was eager and excited about preaching today. Service was just right!!! As I was getting my baptismal gear on the praise team was singing and although I praise God for their spirit every Sunday, they were "SANGING" today, not singing but SANGING" "I love to praise His Holy Name". I almost fell in my study trying to hurry up and get my waders on just so I could sing with them, He's my rock, my sword and shield, hey glory, it was right today. I baptized four and had great turnout from those families.
In times past with service high and a house full, I would have tried to swing for the fences but I am getting older and wiser. All i want to do now is get on base, don't make an out, keep the inning alive, God will bring the runners home when he is ready.
We continued our series on Love, that I think now will not end until Easter Morning. We are close to completing I Corinthians 13 as we did vs 8-10 today, Love Never Fails: Why Does Love never Fail?
Because it is Permanent In Its Makeup: Everything in this world goes away! Nothing lasts forever, in fact its not built or made to last forever. There is no money in that. It's meant to break, need repair and after cost analysis has been done at some point it is cheaper to buy again then keep repairing, but God's Love is not like that. It is Permanent in its makeup. God does not change! Situations change, people change, money changes, jobs change, bills change, churches change, deacon boards change, even enemies change but God remains the same.
When careful word study has been done the word picture refers you to a flower that falls or withers to the ground. God says my love will not be like the flower that fades, the grass withers and the flower fades but the Word of the Lord will stand forever, and if there was one word that describes God's word, one word that put it all together, what would that word be? Joy, peace, Patience, my contention is that the word would be Love, because after all God is love.
Why does Love never fail, Because it is Perpetual in Motion: To slightly show my age, before the energizer bunny( it keeps going and going) I grew up with the Timex watch( takes a licking keeps on ticking), no matter how you treated it, it still treated you with good service, perfect time and wonderful craftsmanship. Well I lost it there and closed, didn't mean to but I fooled around and got happy because I thought about my God.
He is in love with us. He choose us, cares for us, waits to hear from us, gives us what we have not earned and withholds what we really deserve. He does not treat us as our sins deserve. Even when we forget to talk to him in the morning, oxygen still flows, forget to praise him, but car still works, forget to thank him for another day's journey and he still gives us another day. Most businesses and businessmen would have done a cost analysis and said it costs too much, cut them loose but God kept on loving us, from creation, to graduation, even while we messed up through our matriculation, God loved us. It flowed from the beginning and is still flowing now.
Why does Love never fail: Because Its Production is Magnificent: I told my church to look at the blog as I forgot this part, but right now we are nothing but parts and pieces. A part here, piece there, see in part, preach in part, pray in part, sing in pieces but the Bible says "When perfection comes" the parts will be done away with because it has all come together.
My secular job was an automobile assembler at General Motors. I walked past the completion or the final line every morning. We built Escalades, Suburbans, Tahoes and Yukons but we did not build them in completion, WE BUILT THEM PIECE BY PIECE, PART BY PART. Body shop builds their part, rivet by rivet, screw by screw, weld by weld, Paint would build their part, booth by booth, room by room, vat by vat, Trim would build their part, seat by seat, fabric by fabric, design by design, Chasis built its part, tire by tire, brake by brake, engine by engine and when it all came together it turned into a Escalade, Yukon, Tahoe or Suburban, all it had been was pieces and parts but something brought it together.
That's all I have ever been, I am just a piece of a Pastor, part of a man, piece of a servant, part of worshipper, piece of kind, part of patient, piece of long-suffering, part rejoicing but love is working on me, it is producing something in me. It Deposits in ME, Develops ME and then Died for ME.
Don't give up on me Macedonia, I'm just a piece now but Love is working on me, South Bend don't write my obituary yet because even though I am just a part now, Love is producing me and when God gets through with me............
Feel like running,
Owens
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5 comments:
My, my, my... stop showing off. LOL I am really enjoying your series. Keep running Pastor Owens!
Good stuff,
Ron
Brother,
You really ought not do me like this. I can only take so much. Awesome Word !!! You remain a blessing.
Praise God for your exposition of His word. I know the house died from the word, cause I'm dying from the outline. God be praised.
Owens!!! You are somebody's preacher! But after being at the Greater Mt. Olive Church last week, you would be ready to explode at Macedonia this week. Great outline!
Lance
Revun with preaching like this, you should leave and come back more often! Great Work
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