Bishop Alexis A. Thomas preached, "God Will Bring You Out!" He used Deuteronomy 5:15 as his reference scripture. "Remember that you were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord your God brought you out with his strong hand and powerful arm. That is why the Lord your God has commanded you to rest on the Sabbath day." (New Living Translation)
Bishop said, "One of the purposeful and intentional designs of God in our lives and his acts in our lives is to remove all boasting! We work hard to take the credit, while God works to let us know he deserves all the credit." The Apostle Paul agreed, "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it." Ephesians 2:8-9 (New Living Translation)
No matter how intelligent and capable you are, no matter how beautiful and talented you are, and no matter how many zeros behind your bottom line or letters behind your name, it is the mercy and grace of God that has brought you through. The psalmist wrote, "Hard times may well be the plight of the righteous—they may often seem overwhelmed—but the Eternal rescues the righteous from what oppresses them." Psalm 34:19 (Voice) And Jeremiah lamented, "My soul has them continually in remembrance and is bowed down within me. But this I recall and therefore have I hope and expectation: It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness." Lamentations 3:20-24 (Amplified Version)
Bishop encouraged us to feel free to glance back at our lives to see how far we've come, but don't gaze at it longingly! Remember you were once a slave to sin and foolishness, but God delivered you. He delivered you so that you can rest. The Sabbath represents rest. God intends for you to realize he gives you the strength, the courage, and the ability to do everything you must do. When you trust him you can rest every day of your life. Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Message)
Love and prayers, Cynthia
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