No one can argue there is a lot of change going on right now. This includes the fact that Rockhills met for the first time ever in their new building! It was only volunteers, but it was great to be together and worship in spirit and in truth. Feel free to COME AS YOU ARE next week - - as long as you are not sick. We will also have live stream available if you want to host a watch party, or simply stay in the safety of your own home and wait a while longer before meeting together in community. In case you don’t realize it, the schools in the area will not allow churches to meet in them for the foreseeable future. It is certainly God’s provision - and timing - that we now have this building. He keeps taking care of Rockhills Church! He is faithful!
In addition to the change in status and location for Rockhills Church, there is much pivotal change going on within our culture. There is the virus, the racial tension, the political division, the social distancing, wearing masks vs. not wearing masks, what you say, what you don’t say….and the list goes on and on. All of this is pivotal because no matter what we try to do or say, we cannot “fix” what is going on. It doesn’t matter how many articles we read and who wrote them, or how many deeds we do or don’t do, things are out of our hands right now. There is a lot of change in the air. These are pivotal times.
People often pray for revival and renewal. However tough times are when revival, renewal and repentance tend to occur. Could this be a pivotal time of God calling for revival and renewal? In our country? In our churches? In our own personal lives? In your life?
INVITATION: We are a work in progress. Have you noticed any rough edges in in yourself during these changing and pivotal times? Have you had the humility to really SEE those rough edges? Are you allowing God to grow and change you during this time? Pastor Adam confessed one way that God has changed him and made him more aware is he now realizes how his life has afforded him the luxury of being naive to the experience of people of color that he knows and loves. What about you? Is God speaking into your life during these pivotal times? How is God moving and working in your heart and life? Are you taking time to listen to His still, small voice? Are you willing for the Holy Spirit to prick and maybe convict your heart? Are you willing to change? Pastor Adam pointed out it would be a great tragedy if we do not allow the things we are currently facing to change and grow us to be more like Christ.
MONDAY: Psalm 33:4-19: Verse 10-11 indicates that God can “foil the plans of the nations and thwart the purposes of the peoples.” That sounds a bit like a pivotal circumstance that might cause change, doesn’t it? During unsettling times such as now, it is often good to also remember that Romans 8:28 is still in the Bible: God causes ALL THINGS to work together for good. How can you turn some cares and anxieties over to God in a step of faith today and this week?
TUESDAY: 2 Kings 5:1-11: As desperate as Naaman was to have his leprosy cured, he was furious that Elisha did not show up in person to meet with him. He was more concerned about the perceived insult than about humbly following the instruction of Elisha’s messenger. Pride jeopardized Naaman’s chance to be healed. Pride has long been acknowledged as the source of many sins. Perhaps this is a good time to take stock of where pride occurs in your own life. Are you willing to ask someone whom you love and trust (and who loves and trusts you) for help? Consider listing 2-3 areas in your life where pride undermines your closeness to God. What are the sources of pride in these areas? Are you willing to ask God to show you ways to break free and have change from areas of pride in your life?
WEDNESDAY: 2 Kings 5:13-14: God doesn’t alway work the way we think He will or the way we might think he should. It may not even seem logical at times (such as dipping in a river 7 times, and it wasn’t even a desirable, beautiful river!). After all, God’s kingdom is often referred to as the “upside down kingdom” because it is often counter intuitive and counter cultural. Is there anything in your life that makes relying on God a challenge for you right now?
THURSDAY: 2 KINGS 5:15-16: The fact that there is nothing Naaman can offer for his healing might be a pivotal circumstance. There was nothing he could do. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s love or to lose God’s love. There is nothing we can do regarding these pivotal circumstances in the world. While God certainly didn’t cause the virus or racial tension, he will use it to draw people to himself. How are the changes in our culture helping draw you to the heart of God? Are you open to change?
FRIDAY: John 3:30: How can God become greater for you today? How can you become less? When and how have you seen trusting God more in your life transform you? In past week? How about in the past month or two?
SATURDAY: Psalm 139:23-24: Are you willing to pray these verses as a prayer to God? If you allow him to search and know your heart, are you willing to listen and obey? Are there any current areas in your life where you have been called into obedience but you are resisting? How might you take that into God’s presence today? Scripture says we can enter his “throne room of grace with CONFIDENCE.”