DEVOTION: 1 Kings 17:8-16
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you." 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink." 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." 12 And she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die." 13 And Elijah said to her, "Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.'" 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
I think it is fascinating that everyone did just as the Lord told them to do in this story. Elijah went to Zarephath, a foreign country. The widow gave a stranger some bread just because he told her that God had said something to him. And guess what, it all worked out just like the Lord promised. She and Elijah and her whole household ate until the Lord sent rain on the earth.
What happens when you do what the Lord says? Maybe you haven't been doing what the Lord says, what would happen if you do? I can guarantee that he will work it all out for your good. He will do His will, which is always good. It may not be the most comfortable thing. It may require you to go outside of your comfort zone. It may require faith, but that's ok, the Holy Spirit will give you the faith you need.
The biggest thing is that when you disobey God, you don't stay in your sin. Instead, do what he has commanded; confess your sins and receive his forgiveness.
I also find it interesting that he didn't fill the whole house with food. he didn't give them all sorts of sheep and cattle. He sustained them with flour, water, and oil. Nor did he make rain fall on the earth right away. He gave them exactly what they needed. They needed a time off hardship to turn back to him. They needed bread to survive. The utmost thing they needed was faith in him, and that is what he gave them the most. He gave an increase of faith.
The hardship you are going through right now, the struggle, the pain may just be the tool that God uses to increase your faith. He may be giving you just enough or an abundance right now. Whatever the case may be, know that he is caring for you in his own way and time. He loves you with an everlasting love, and he won't let you fall. Trust in Him to do his good, pleasing, and perfect will in your life.
Prayer: Lord, bless us to let go of our false control over things and give control to you. Amen.
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CALENDAR:
Tues- Quilting 9-2; History of Christianity "Christianity: The First Three Centuries" 11:30-12:15
Wed- Choir 7pm
Thurs- Alzheimer's Support group 1pm; Karate 6:15-7:45
Fri- Set up for Vendor Fair, Bake Sale, and Luncheon
Sat- Vendor Fair, Bake Sale, Luncheon 9am-2pm; Worship 5
Sun- Worship 8:30 and 11; Sunday school 9:45; Elder's meeting noon
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WORSHIP WORKERS:
Acolyte- 8:30- John Pezold ; 11- Hailey Blechle
Ushers- George, Gary, and Ben Hoelscher; Brent Davis
Altar- Set up- Ruth Walters; Clean up- Wanda Turnure
Communion Assistants- Sat- Rich Talbert; 8:30- Don Turnure; 11- Randy Sweet
Greeters- 8:30- John and Joanne Hachtel; 11- Joan Sexton
Lay readers- Sat- Sandra Perricone 8:30- Lois Boeger 11- Randy Sweet
Sat. Pianist- Barb Dreyer
Organist- Rachel Fisher
Projectionists: Sat. ?????, 8:30-?????? , 11- Alaina Heitgerd
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NEWS!!!! PLEASE READ IT ALL!!!!
CONFIRMATION KIDS ARE SELLING TJ's PIZZA AND OTHER GOODIES FOR THEIR ANNUAL TRIP TO CAMP WINDERMERE FOR THE JR. HI. RETREAT !
Reply to this email or text me at 636-359-1061 to place your order. Make checks out to St. John's.
Here's the menu:
PIZZAS:
3-pack of personal pizzas $18.50 (Deluxe $20),
12 " St. Louis Style -
$8.50--Triple cheese, Italian Sausage, Pepperoni
$9- Italian Sausage and Pepperoni, Italian Sausage and Bacon, Pepperoni and Bacon,
$10- Lotsa meat (Italian Sausage, Pepperoni, Ham, bacon, Beef); All Bacon; Deluxe (Ham, Italian sausage, pepperoni, peppers); Supreme- (beef, bacon, pepperoni, peppers, mushrooms, onions)
GOURMET PIZZAS $10 each
Breakfast Pizza (Bacon, sausage, egg, and cheese
BBQ Chicken-
Nacho- beef, onion, olives, peppers, chips
Garlic Chicken
Alfredo chicken (White sauce, broccoli, mushrooms)
Buffalo chicken
White sausage (Italian sausage and white sauce)
Veggie
Breakfast pizza with thick crust
12" TJ's Thick Crust (Mozzarella cheese)
$9- Triple cheese, Pepperoni
$11 Deluxe, Lotsa meat
Coffee $10 for a 12 oz. bag
Regular grind, decaf grind, whole bean
Frozen Desserts
Dutch Apple pie $10
Original gooey butter cake 12.50
French Cream Cheesecake $16.50
Caramel Braided Bread $11
Strawberry Cream Cheese braided bread $11
Cookie Dough $10
Chocolate Chunk
Double chocolate
Sugar
Oatmeal cranberry
White chocolate macadamia $12
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I NEED PROJECTIONISTS FOR BOTH SATURDAY AND 8:30 SUNDAY!! Who is gonna do it?
Please help!
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HOME BUSINESS AND VENDOR FAIR, BAKE SALE, AND LUNCHEON THIS SATURDAY 9am-2pm!!
Come on down to church and get a bunch off your Christmas shopping done and enjoy some lunch, a piece of pie, and some good fellowship at the same time!!
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TUESDAY LUNCH TIME BIBLE STUDY IS LEARNING ALL ABOUT THE FIRST THREE CENTURIES OF OUR CHRISTIAN CHURCH!
This is the time right after Jesus died till the time that Constantine made Christianity legal.
We are gong to learn A LOT and learn about why our church is the way it is at the same time.
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WE HAVE TWO FAMILIES SIGNED UP TO GO TO THIS ON MY BIRTHDAY!! WHO ELSE?
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