H.U.M.P Day!!!!!

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Today's Passage: Ecclesiastes 4: 7-12
Memory Verse: Ecc. 4: 9-10

Every now and then, I like to look back over my life and praise God to see how far the Lord has brought me in my spiritual journey. One of the most awesome things that I KNOW is the Lord's doing is the way He has given me the grace to become connected with brothers and sisters in the kingdom -- really connected. I remember a time when this was NOT the case, however.

Early in my time on the ALM praise team, I was very much in my own world. I didn't really understand the spiritual impact of a team like ours being on one accord as much as possible, until our pastors began to teach how our individual destinies are linked. It took a few more years for me to apply this principle to my life, but now that the Lord has continued to shine the light on this issue through our current pastors, Chad and Nette Willis, I am so glad I didn't give up on trying.

The point of all this is that I spent so much time allowing the enemy to keep me separated from my brothers and sisters in the Lord -- time that I could have been solidifying relationships with them and standing against the enemy. The more there are of us -- together, the more victorious we are. The more we get to know and love each other, the less the enemy can keep us defeated.

Our challenge for this week is this: CONNECT WITH ONE ANOTHER! If our church should pattern itself after the early church, we should be getting used to so many new people that we don't have time to keep grudges or wonder about what others are saying about us. God is calling us to love one another, and this means getting to know each other. Here's a perfect opportunity: find a way to attend one of the fellowship activities that are being held weekly. Come around and meet others you've never talked to. Stop for a minute after church on Wednesday night and talk to a member or two that you've never met. Stretch yourself a little... God expects this of ALL His children. If you start doing this, pretty soon you'll hardly recognize yourself as the person you think you are today. Get connected and see God's kingdom come to this earth.