Praise Reports:
- The Rogers' suburban is finally fixed and they have a potential buyer for one of their rental trailers!
- Irene's shoulder surgery went well.
- David had a great auction
- Dixie is doing better
- Elaine may have buyers for the goats she is trying to sell.
- This is a gorgeous time of year!
- Thank God for the rain.
Prayer Requests:
- A family in Noel had a son-in-law pass away this last week.
- Remember our sister Mary Williams.
- Pray that God will give Richard wisdom for a situation at work.
- Julie is in need of direction and peace with her work.
- Lift up our nation as the elections approach, and pray for our economy.
- Keep Dusti, Rebecca, and Danielle in your prayers.
- Remember Shirley's brother-in-law Paul's brother, who is dealing with cancer.
- A local woman, Tara, was recently diagnosed with cancer.
Sermon Notes:
It's hard to live a meek life in the United States of America. Our country is founded on the principle of independence. Every generation rebels against the past one. We are a nation of patriots, free-thinkers, and radical individualists.
This flies in the face of a meek spirit.
We are very independent in our jobs, homes, relationships, etc. Under more restrictive governments, these things are not in the control of everyday people. In the US we have a lot of control; we are the captains of our ships, the creators of our own destinies.
Meekness, though, is humbly and willingly accepting those things which are not in our
control. Jesus is our example of a meek and quiet spirit.
Personally, Pilate wanted to save Jesus, but it was politically expedient to execute him. In this passage, Jesus essentially lets him off the hook. Pilate is not in control; he is not responsible. It is the Jews under him, Caesar above him, and God at the top, who are responsible for the chain of events. We need to learn to see life from this perspective. When we look above the person immediately before us, we see a hierarchy with God in control.
But how and where are we to learn meekness? It would be so much easier if we were slaves, or under a dictatorial government. We need to find places in our lives where we can submit to someone and accept their authority. The meek shall inherit the earth. When we submit to authority, we can soar to success.
This is a great picture of humility. If we are in a bad situation, we should take every opportunity to get out of it. But the point is that we take, not make, opportunities.
How are you going to train yourself to meekness?
