SUNDAY BLESSINGS

Someone said to me, "I think I like First Sundays," referring to Gospel Life's freewheeling format on the first Sunday of every month, "because you get to hear people talk about things that inspire you...."

Yesterday, a First Sunday, was just that:  inspirational and uplifting.  We heard a vibrant testimony as well as an encouragement to join the forthcoming Lion's Den School of the Supernatural from Ruth Jordan.  We were also enthralled by Archie Davenport's experiences that he was sure to be Providential. We, too, were certain that God had His hands on the things that Archie spoke about.

And then, there is Riley Charles, no longer a little boy running around church, but now a tall and purposeful young man "sent" by God on a mission to the Philippines as he joins the N2L (Nothing to Lose Foundation) team for a short while.  How blessed were we to see the church gather around him to send him off with prayers, blessings and impartations from his church family.

Three precious ones were baptized towards the end of the service, as Archie Davenport, Joy Espenida, and Bobbie publicly declared through their baptism that they have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

As always, the Communion Service was a happy celebration and reminder of Jesus' supreme sacrifice for all mankind when He died on the cross for all our sins, past, present and future.

All of us are thankful and glad to see Jessica, daugther of Archie and Cesar Cabrera, returning on a furlough from Afghanistan as an active military volunteer in the U.S. Army.  We thank her for continuing to serve our country well.  

"But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do"

(John 6:6).

Jesus and the disciples had just crossed the Sea of Galilee and multitudes followed Him because of the miracles they saw Him do. He was about to speak to them when Jesus realized it was dinner time and the people would be hungry. There were more than 5,000 people who needed to be fed.  

Jesus already knew what He was going to do in this situation. However, He was testing the disciples to see if they would think beyond themselves to find a God-solution to the problem. They failed the test. They immediately thought like most of us would think. The disciples looked in their pocketbooks and realized they did not have adequate resources to purchase enough food for the crowd.  

It is when we come to the end of our resources that God comes in with His resources.  

When I first published volume one of TGIF in book form, I was required to order 1,000 copies from my publisher. We had very little distribution and sales of materials at that time. So, after a few months, we still had boxes and boxes of inventory in our basement. "These books are doing us, nor anyone else, any good in our basement," I said to my wife Angie. "I think we need to go downstairs and lay hands on the books and command them to leave our basement based on Mark 11:23 which says we can speak to the mountain and have it removed." We walked downstairs and prayed, "In the name of Jesus get out of the basement and go be a blessing to someone who can benefit from these books!" Feeling very foolish, I walked upstairs. Two hours later we received a call from a Texas-based workplace ministry. They ordered 300 books! Until then, we had never sold more than a few copies in one day!  

When a problem arises in your work life do you think only the logical thought? Perhaps God has created this problem as an opportunity to reveal His glory in the situation. Next time, go outside the box and see the glory of God manifested in your problem!  

(Today God Is First (TGIF) devotional message, Copyright by Os Hillman, Marketplace Leaders.)