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43 But now thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in exchange for you.
4 Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.
5 Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you.
6 I will say to the north, Give up,
and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the end of the earth,
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."
If there was any doubt whose we are, this passage answers it. We are Almighty God's most precious possession! We, who are chosen by God and called by name, are more precious than anything else.
We tend to think that we are in charge of our lives, and many of us think we are in charge of other people's lives as well. That couldn't be further from the truth. While God has given us our children and others to care for, that doesn't mean we are "in charge" of them or that we are "in control" of them. That is God's job. God alone has the power to give and take away. Blessed be
the name of the Lord.
Instead of acting as owners, we should act as stewards of God's gifts. Stewards take care of things and use things they way the owner, God, wants. Our bodies are not our own, no matter what pro-choice people may want you to think. Our bodies, and all that we are and have, are God's!
I ask you today, how have you been acting? Have you been acting as a steward or as an owner? Repent if you've been acting like an owner. Humble yourselves so that a time of correction and after that peace may come. Turn from thinking that you are in charge and realize that God is. Then also know that this will have to be a daily realization, as your very nature comes from Adam and Eve, and they wanted to be in charge and be their own owners too.
Prayer: Lord help me daily to realize that you are in charge of my life. You are my boss. Amen. __________________________________________________________________
CALENDAR:
Tues- Quilters 9-2; Visitation for Carol Kohrs 9:30-11, Funeral 11am all at Pitman Funeral Home in Wentzville
Wed- Choir 7pm
Thurs- Alzheimers Group 1pm
Sat- worship 5pm
Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45; Elder's Meeting Noon; High School Youth Bible Study and Pizza @ Church 5pm
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WORSHIP WORKERS:
Acolyte- 8:30- Dawn Sherman; 11- John Pezold
Ushers- Allan Dreyer, Lew Feldkamp, Kent Jacobsmeyer, Paul Klovver
Altar- Set up- Marilyn Foster and Sue Ruhl; Clean up- Wanda Turnure
Elders- Sat- Steve Robine; 8:30- John Hachtel; 11-Dave Winter
Greeters- 8:30- Tom and Pam Linke; 11- Doug and Ruth Walters
Lay readers- Zach Hoelscher; Hannah Johnson
Sat. Pianist- Kathy Barrow
Organist- Rachel Fisher
Projectionists: ???????
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YESTERDAY'S BIBLE QUIZ: Why does the Bible say that God chose Noah to build the ark? (Gonna leave this up for another day, because there was no answer for it yesterday.)
