Last week we held our church service in another town. It is about 50km from where we live and regularly have church. We loaded everyone in to a bus or in cars and headed out.
We started doing this as an outreach and because we have some people who live in Westonia who come to our church each week. It makes it easier for them to invite their friends to church.
After a nice service we had a Fathers Day picnic at the local undercover area. We sat, talked, ate and had a quiz. It was a really nice way to do church.
So far this year we have done it twice that I have been to. Both times it was really fun. It is something I hope we continue to do as a church.
If you are interested you can watch the service above.
Here is a devotion from a great free resource I have used a lot over the years – Our Daily Bread. I found it encouraging today. I especially liked the statement about self control that I bolded…
A hole in the wall
Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control. Proverbs 25:28
Something was eating my flowers. The day before, blooms proudly lifted their heads. Now they were headless stems. I prowled the perimeter of my yard and discovered a rabbit-sized hole in my wooden fence. Bunnies are cute, but the pesky animals can mow down a garden of flowers in minutes.
I wonder, might there be “intruders” shearing off the blooms of God’s character in my life? Proverbs 25:28 says, “Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.” In ancient days, the wall of the city protected it against invasion from enemies. Even a small opening in a wall meant that the entire city lay open to attack.
So many of the proverbs are about self-control. “If you find honey, eat just enough,” wrote the wise man (25:16). Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit that guards us, protecting us from losing ground to impatience, bitterness, greed, and other pests that can intrude and destroy God’s harvest in our lives (see Galatians 5:22–23). Self-control is a healthy-mindedness that watches for the holes in the walls of our lives and keeps them patched.
When I inspect the perimeter of my life, I can at times see vulnerable holes. A spot where I give in to temptation over and over. An area of impatience. Oh, how I need the healthy-minded self-control of God in my life to guard me from such intruders!
Dear God, please grow the fruit of self-control in my life that I might be protected from intruders. Amen.
Matthew 11:28 NLT – Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
For some reason I hear Jesus say “Come to Me all who are weary” and I miss the “carry heavy burdens” part. I have burdens I still carry. Things that always seem to be on my heart and in my mind. I need to come to Him afresh and allow Him to take my burdens. How about you? Have you got heavy burdens you carry? Maybe it is time to let them go to Jesus?
Prayer
Dear Jesus, You call us to come to You if we are weary and carry heavy burdens. Right now I come to You afresh as I am weary and burdened. I give them to You and exchange them for Your rest and peace. Amen.
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