Pentecost, God Within and Among Us – Acts 2:1-12

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Pentecost, God Within and Among Us – Acts 2:1-12

Pentecost is about seeing God’s presence in our lives. As you start each day, ask God to help you notice the Holy Spirit in and around you. If it helps, ask God to help you see the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). And when you think you’ve seen, heard, or felt God, tell someone so we can celebrate with you!

By recognizing Pentecost-type moments in our lives, we open ourselves to experiencing a deeper personal relationship with God. And the fruit of that will be more love, more joy, and more peace in ourselves, in our homes, and in our community.

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Luke 3:2b-16 – The Advent of JOY, "Jesus is coming. Look busy!"

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Luke 3:2b-16 – The Advent of JOY, "Jesus is coming. Look busy!"

Jesus calls us to a more personal, more immediate, and more intimate expression of sacrifice. When we share with others, we are worshiping; we are thanking God for what we have AND for the opportunity to bless others.

Putting our faith into action is a critical part of a healthy, functioning spiritual life. As someone in our Bible Study asked, “What outward expressions would be worthy of the change we’ve felt inside of us?”

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John 10:1-21 – The Good Shepherd Calls Us to Abundant Living

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John 10:1-21 – The Good Shepherd Calls Us to Abundant Living

In verse 10, Jesus says, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Remember the Great Commandments? Love God, love yourself, and love others. What if we used that as a guide and a measure of abundant living?

  • If you felt like you had a direct, personal, intimate, conversational relationship with God, would you describe that as living abundantly?

  • If you loved yourself – loved who you are, if you could look in the mirror and say, “I like that person!”... would you describe that as living abundantly?

  • If you found it easier to love other people – even people you don’t enjoy being around... would you describe that as living abundantly?

If we trust Jesus and believe that He’s telling us the truth, then we can follow the words of our Good Shepherd and begin living more abundant lives.

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2 Corinthians 8:1-14 – Margie Meserve – Happiness is the Joy of Giving

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2 Corinthians 8:1-14 – Margie Meserve – Happiness is the Joy of Giving

Paul’s letter centers on financial giving as a mean of sharing God’s grace. Financial giving can be expanded to include other areas in how we give. There are numerous ways to be good stewards. When we join the church, we promise to contribute our prayers, presence, gifts and service to benefit our faith community.

In 2 Corinthians 9:7 Paul writes, “We all should give what we have decided in our hearts to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” A “cheerful” giver is one who give out of love. The Macedonian churches and the Corinthian church were happy to give all they could, and they did so because they loved God. Giving and serving from love brings happiness. In giving financially and of ourselves we extent God’s blessings and grace to others. Our resources are not infinite, whether it is money or time, but everyone can experience the joy and blessings of generosity; because everyone has something to give.

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